In China, various disparities are widening such as the disparity between coastal areas and inland
areas, the disparity between urban areas and rural areas, and disparities within urban and
rural areas while the Chinese economy is growing rapidly. In addition to such disparities, China
is facing domestic issues, including budget deficits, bad loan disposals, state company reforms,
and unemployment, yet it is also working on external matters such as energy and resource diplomacy
and China-ASEAN FTA negotiations. The issues that China is facing are affecting the politics
and economies of Asian countries including Japan and other major countries, as well as the
politics and economy of China. China’s 11th five-year plan (20062010) suggested that there are
limits to the “theory of allowing individuals to grow rich first”. China needs to urgently overcome
the adverse effects of imbalanced development caused by the poverty and the economy-first policy,
as reflected in income disparities between coastal areas and inland areas. China also needs to
urgently create a “harmonized society”, establish a recycling economy, and cope with energy issues.
Poverty remains a serious problem in inland areas, particularly in rural areas in the ethnic minority
regions and the intermediate and mountainous areas. Most of the recent poverty reduction
programs for China, not only those implemented by the Chinese government but also those offered
by overseas organizations such as the World Bank, are intended for these areas.
Cooperation extended to China by the Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA) and yenloan-
financed projects offered by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation ( JBIC) are also
shifting to inland areas.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has strengthened environmental measures since the
1990s to tackle various environmental crises which emerged throughout the country. However,
since 2000 the government has been struggling with resource and environmental problems, such
as escalation of water pollution, water shortages, and energy crises. In inland areas, in particular,
administrative systems are clearly slower to be established than in other areas and orientation toward
development is spreading among local governments, threatening the sustainability of environmental
resources in these areas. Furthermore, basic social services such as medical, health,
and welfare services are lacking in inland rural areas, exacerbating the damage caused by environmental
pollution. Neither effective surveys nor countermeasures have been implemented even in
areas where there have long been health hazards suspected of causing environmental diseases.
This study investigates and analyzes how economically undeveloped areas in China should
move forward toward environmentally sustainable development, what types of measures and governance
are required to achieve this, and what type of cost-sharing and partnership is effective in
multilayered governance from socioeconomic viewpoints, and consequently to contribute to future
“poverty reduction support measures” for China and other developing countries. This paper
examines several cases toward sustainable development in two typical areas, an industrial development
area and a rural poverty area, in Guizhou Province, which is the poorest province in
China, with a focus on regional differences in socioeconomic development, environmental issues,
and the trend of international cooperation.
Guizhou Province is facing serious environmental problems including air pollution caused by
sulfur oxides generated from coal combustion and water pollution because the province is located
upstream of the Chu and Chang rivers. Environmental conflicts are becoming obvious in industrial
development areas and some victims have filed lawsuits against polluting companies. The state of
Guizhou Province, which is focused on economic development while suffering from pollution, is
a miniature version of China. It has much in common with Japan’s high-growth period.
Meanwhile, Guiyang City, the capital of Guizhou Province, is one of the “Japan-China Environment
Model Cities” with Chongqing and Dalian, and is the first city to test a recycling economy
and is attracting much attention as a successful case of Japan’s environmental cooperation for
China.
This study reviews the present conditions and issues of measures to fight poverty, environmental
conservation, and international cooperation, based on the results of interview surveys of
organizations in Japan and Beijing and local surveys conducted in Guizhou Province. Specifically,
it reviews the natural environment, socioeconomic conditions, and the trend of international cooperation
in the Province, focuses on differences among areas, and studies three cases: (1) implementation
of the Japan-China Environment Model Cities Project, Guiyang City, the capital of
Guizhou Province, (2) implementation of measures to fight poverty and efforts for endogenous
development in rural poverty areas, and (3) environmental disputes caused by industrial development,
particularly disputes over damages caused by air and water pollution. Finally, issues for future
research will be presented.departmental bulletin pape
