While the speed of modernization in China has been truly remarkable in recent years, environmental problems which can be described as the negative legacy of the process of economic growth have worsened.

For example, China relies on coal to supply some 70% of the primary energy (approximately five times higher than the corresponding figure in Japan) and the extremely high sulphur content within coal produces a massive amount of SOx through combustion, causing air pollution and acid rain.

Under these circumstances, the Government of China regards environmental protection as a vital task for the administration and is implementing a variety of environmental protection policies, including strengthening of the administrative organizations responsible for environmental protection, formulation of an environmental protection plan, enrichment of the relevant legal system, fostering of the environmental protection industry and encouragement to obtain ISO 14000 certification.

* The Country Energy Reports (1999) of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), US

Gobi Desert and Yellow River seen from space

However, the reality is that the environmental measures by the Government of China have not yet sufficiently caught up with the level of the rapid economic growth of the country which has vast national land.

The environmental problems of a country are, in fact, global problems whose impacts spread beyond national boundaries and seas to the socioeconomy of neighboring countries. As Japan has accumulated experiences in this field since its high economic growth period, the skillful use of such experiences will have significant effects not only on the resolution of environmental issues in China & Japan, but on the implement of the world's environment.

Japan's basic posture for environmental ODA for China is the provision of assistance for the self-help efforts by the Government of China will contribute to the sustainable development of the world which has important implications to Japan. In addition, Japan places emphasis on a dialogue with the Chinese side in implementing its cooperation.