China’s decision to ban waste imports has exposed the deep structural flaws and interdependencies that support the global waste-management system. Western countries who have long depended on China as a destination for their garbage are straining to accommodate their own waste, while China struggles to find the labor to effectively sort and process waste amidst a “low-end population” crisis.

To the extent that it raises living standards, the “China Model” fulfills some requirements of political legitimacy. But, once those living standards reach a certain level, the Chinese people will almost certainly demand more personal freedom and political accountability.

President Xi’s new buzzword “Ecological Civilization” regarding China’s climate change efforts deserves more international attention. The phrase is an example of “environmentalism with Chinese characteristics.”

President Xi’s new buzzword “Ecological Civilization” regarding China’s climate change efforts deserves more international attention. The phrase is an example of “environmentalism with Chinese characteristics.”

Much of China's future progress will depend on what happens in the countryside.

A unit of China Three Gorges Corp. is building a 1 billion yuan ($151 million) floating solar power plant, the world’s biggest, in the nation’s eastern province of Anhui.

More than 90 firms ordered to shut down as environmental authority presses on with clampdown on pollution

China’s carbon emissions will probably peak on or before 2030, a survey of industry participants found. About 82 percent of 260 stakeholders in the nation

China plans to stop accepting imports of solid waste materials by end of 2017. This ban is expected to improve China’s domestic environmental and food safety issues. While the U.S. recycling industry is worrying about the economic damage of this policy change, the ban could trigger a positive change in U.S. domestic recycling policies.