The Sinocism China Newsletter

Sinica: Water on the Brink

As the southern Yangtze region struggles with its worst drought in a century, China’s grand plans for water diversion projects and its Three Gorges Dam have come under renewed scrutiny, as have expectations Beijing can maintain economic stability. For beyond the environmental disaster wracking southern China, questions are growing of whether Beijing is veering towards a similar fate itself, with city planners expecting a thirty percent increase in the capital’s population in a region that’s already far beyond its carrying capacity.

Joining Sinica host Kaiser Kuo to discuss this year’s China drought are Sinica stalwarts Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei and Gady Epstein of Forbes magazine. Frequent guest Bill Bishop also joins to share his thoughts on a situation that “is a game changer”. Join us for a podcast that talks about China’s ongoing water problems, provides a brief update on the Yahoo-Alibaba dispute over Alipay, and then moves on to other flashpoint issues: environmental unrest in Inner Mongolia, and a tragic bombing in Fuzhou.