I have heard Lefties in the USA basically call China the devil because they have the audacity to do exactly what we have done instead of doing better than us.

On the one hand, I share their concern for the environmental damage caused by a billion Chinese consumers. On the other hand, I understand that China's main concern is jobs.

It is too easy to criticize others from the wealth and luxury of our country. In the world outside of the Star Trek Federation, people need money to feed and cloth their families. Starvation kills you in a few weeks but pollution takes many years...

Just this weekend I heard that 1 job in 10 in our country is directly related to the auto industry. If anything, I would expect the USA, with all of its power and wealth, to lead the way in stopping car use. I find it disingenuous for us to blame China for something we cannot do ourselves and I dont see any signs of us changing.

This article does a good job explaining the economic issues around cars and pollution. And we can expect to see the $7,000 Chery cars for sale in this country soon.

As China's Auto Market Booms, Leaders Clash Over Heavy Toll

Vehicles Foul Air, Jam Streets But Plump Local Coffers; Restrictions Remain Few

McDonald's Targets a Niche

By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH and SHAI OSTER

June 13, 2006

BEIJING -- Nearly 1,000 new cars hit the streets here every day, crowding a city already choked with pollution. Levels of nitrogen dioxide currently exceed the World Health Organization's clean-air guidelines by 78%.

The mayor, Wang Qishan, complains that the number of cars flooding the roads makes it "more difficult to run the city." Local officials are so worried about air quality for the 2008 summer Olympic Games that they are considering a temporary ban on private cars.

At the same time, the city owns Beijing Automotive Industry Corp., a car maker that has joint ventures with DaimlerChrysler AG and South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Last year, the company and its affiliates made more than 500,000 cars, trucks and buses, employed 48,000 workers and paid more than $500 million in local taxes. By 2008, they expect to produce one million vehicles a year.

After various on-and-off restrictions, Beijing, which has more vehicles than any other Chinese city, has almost no limitations on car usage.

"This is something of great difficulty for us. The contradiction of population and the environment -- for us and the whole of China," said Mr. Wang at a March meeting.

The rise of the automobile highlights the wrenching balancing act China faces as it tries to join the ranks of modern consumer societies: improving living standards and creating jobs for the country's 1.3 billion people while keeping pollution and oil demand under control.