The importance of environmental protests in China

The phenomenon, more and more extensive, environmentalism in Southeast Asia is beginning to achieve valuable results even in the Chinese territory. If in contexts of greater democracy like Taiwan and South Korea, the increasing centrality of environmental issues in political debates is more understandable, taking cognizance of the Chinese government's growing awareness about these issues, represents a new element in relationship with civil society. The ever-increasing growth of a middle class more educated and with more economic resources and therefore more and more influential in the social fabric of China, also inside, however, certainly not a democratic regime, forced the leaders of the new government of China to Given the extent and influence of the subject, especially if linked to social peace and the desire not to offer excuses for any claims, preventing, ultimately, potential opportunities for conflict with the authorities. In the light of these considerations must be considered as a case study the cancellation of a project on which the country's authorities had invested heavily in order to reduce energy dependence on coal. It is planned to build a site for uranium enrichment, with a budget of 4600 million euro well, which would have enabled the production of 1,000 tons of enriched uranium, which by 2020 could allow China to increase its nuclear power from 12 to 60-70 gigawatts current schedule. It was an ambitious project that could allow a jump in the production of electricity undoubtedly considerable. However the demonstrations made in the name of the right to health and pollution have led the Chinese authorities to block the ambitious project. The environmental issues are deeply felt in China and demonstrations in their favor do not put doubt the leadership of the Communist Party, in most cases they only have the purpose of applying for environmental improvements to improve the health conditions of the population, significantly worsened in the past years, particularly in certain areas, due to the great pressure of industrialization of the country was involved. These manifestations are born without a political claim that it can undermine the system, even though they contain in themselves reasons that could potentially trigger and direct their protest specifically against Chinese institutions. The new policy course in Beijing is well aware of these dangers and prefers to be limited to the first damage, also in compliance with promises to consider in a new light the claims which include the fight against poverty, corruption, education and property . They are issues that come to the environment and health are closely related, because they often sacrificed to the Chinese growth model that has so far marked the double-digit growth of the PRC. The authorities that make up the new government proved to have realized that if they intend to preserve the institutions as they are, must give something, otherwise the danger of repeated demonstrations that would have to fall back as the first effect on the stability of production. This point of balance can be achieved by means of a slower economic growth and less exaggerated in order to reconcile the production needs with an increase in overall quality, including through the application of the criterion of greater administrative transparency which may include forms of participation in the decisions that the direct involvement of citizens, not to fall from often unpopular decisions. If we are still far from a participatory democracy, the channel environment demonstrates that even in China, can be small openings that allow to soften the bureaucratic rigidity of the political system.