A Chinese man stands near a barrier with signs warning against fishing, collecting ice, collecting sand and grazing due to a toxic spill travelling down the Songhua river along the banks of Huachuan, Heilongjian province, northern China, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005. (AP FILE)
China on a Tight Rope Story aired: Tuesday, April 17, 2007
State media in China is reporting that 140 children and their teachers have taken ill after what is described as a huge amount of sulfur dioxide was released from a fertilizer plant yesterday.
China's economy is the worlds fourth largest and its economy has more than doubled in size since the end of 2000. Add to that increasing diplomatic ties and military presence on the international stage and China seems to be racing ahead. But Harry Hardin says the country is walking on a tight rop and today's news is a large part of the problem.
Harding is chair of the China Task Force at the Eurasia Group, a political research firm based in New York. He is also university professor of international affairs at George Washington University. He writes about China in this month's Foreign Policy magazine.
Guests:
Harry Hardin
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