Is the grass getting greener on the other side?:

According to my understanding, the U.S. economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (the total value of all goods produced within a country's territorial borders), or GDP, is approximately three times the size of its closest competitor. That is enormous, and I must say it goes a long way to explaining the current role of the United States as the world's lone Super Power.

So what, one might ask, does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, speaking of China, that nation is considered to be on the road to regional hegemony and eventually to Super Power status for reasons ranging from population size to resources available, to rapid economic growth.

China has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and a great deal of energy and effort are going into the developement of technologies designed to help decrease pollution, increase military might, provide for continuing economic improvement, and to raise China's status among nations of the world.

Many consider China to be on pace to become the new 'cash-cow' for oil producing states as the US and other Western contries seek an increase in consumption of renewable energy. That is, due to the growing automobile industry, China's enormous energy needs (both current and projected), and the lack of adequate indigenous energy supply, China appears to be on pace to become one of the larget consumer of energy resources (oil and natural gas). However, accordin to the MIT Technology Review, China has been working quite hard at producing its own form of green energy sources.

One way in which China is seeking to 'go green' is with tougher mileage standards for new automobiles. This is also discussed in a New York Times article titled CHINA SET TO ACT ON FUEL ECONOMY. This move towards green technology is also discussed, albeit briefly, by Xu Kuangdi, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, in a speech at the 2004 World Engineers' Convention.

So what does all of this mean? Why have I spent the past several paragrpahs describing China's move towards more environmentally friendly technologies? Well, with the focus on the Chinese consumption of energy resources (oil, natural gas, etc) it strikes me that one of China's greatest potential sources of notoriety in the world could come from its development of environmentally friendly, renewable energy sources based on engineering and improving technology. Perhaps one day instead of importing Arab oil, the US will begin importing Chinese renewable energy technology. That is, if we don't develop it ourselves (see here, here, here, and here for some examples).