Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
resources embrace policies to exploit these resources. herefore, as opposed
to the days of stronger central government control where local apathy led to
poor implementation of central policy, the economic autonomy granted to
provinces and municipalities engender higher levels of local initiative. On
the other hand, it is becoming increasingly problematic to create a uniied
energy policy with diferent regions pursuing diferent development agen-
das. Going forward, creating a uniied national energy strategy in order to
provide the integrated eiciencies necessary to support higher levels of wind
power under a system of increasingly decentralized administrative control
represents a key challenge for the CPC.
6.6.2 Governing Party Ideology
Since the 1970s, the CPC has been absorbed in an ongoing experiment
involving a dual track governance system that seeks to establish a balance
between socialist and market economy principles. In the 1970s, agricul-
ture was decollectivized in order to improve productivity and special eco-
nomic zones were established in order to encourage international trade. In
the 1980s and 1990s, many government-controlled industries were either
privatized or control was delegated to local levels of government. In the
1990s and 2000s, policies were initiated to encourage foreign direct invest-
ment and reduced tarif barriers in order to make Chinese industry more
competitive.
hroughout this reform process, a few ideological principles have emerged
as dominant. First, there is the principle of pragmatism as espoused by
Deng Xiaoping's quote referenced at the beginning of this chapter that the
color of the cat is less important than its ability to catch mice. hanks to this
ideological undercurrent, the CPC's approach to policymaking is malleable
and subject to change based on performance. Second, China's development
policy is predicated on the principle of scientiic development, which advo-
cates design, implementation, and evaluation of policy based on multifac-
eted goals that integrate economic, social, and environmental objectives.
hird, the CPC clearly understands that it is imperative to avoid “building
a cart behind closed doors” (in Mandarin
閉門造車
). his idiom refers to
recognition within the CPC that for Chinese industry to succeed, Chinese
businesses must be exposed to world-class competition and incorporated
upon a base of world-class technology.
In combination, these concepts of pragmatism, scientiic development,
and progressive exposure to competition have produced an electricity gen-
eration sector that is dynamically evolving. Although coal-ired power still
