Importantly, China aims to have much of this transition to cleaner production paid for by others. Aid donors, primarily from Europe and Japan, hoping to promote their own producers of modern industrial technology in the Chinese market, fund industrial improvement projects and provide low-cost financing. The Chinese government frequently pits international against one another by the Chinese government, by granting operation licenses only to the companies that provide the most generous technology transfer. Instead of being wary of helping China become more efficient, however, the United States should engage the opportunity wholeheartedly. U.S. interests will benefit along with the global environment.
Climate change is one sector that provides obvious opportunities.
In the 21st century, China could replace the United States as the world's leading emitter of carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse. American assistance could help reduce China's greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously reducing global demand for oil resources, forestalling plans to build hydroelectric projects on the scale of the Three Gorges Dam, and providing opportunities for American businesses to export efficient technology. The U.S. government should increase aid available for China from the current paltry sum, and should focus it on environmental protection. Because the U.S. Agency for International Development has been prevented from working in China, so has its subsidiary, the U.S. Asia Environment Program, whose mission is to promote U.S. companies selling environmental protection technology abroad. The AEP's approach deserves support for matching environmental objectives with commercial ones.