China’s Pursuit for Sustainable Development

Sustainable development has gradually become an International consensus. China and countries throughout the world have become aware of the need for sustainable development and are exploring ways and means to achieving sustainable development. At the same time, global sustainable development is also faced with serious challenges such as rapid population growth, increased poverty, severe environmental pollution, reduction of biodiversity, desertification and global climate change.

The 2012 United Nations Conference on sustainable development with the themes; “green economy within the context of sustainable development”, “assessing the progress and implementation gaps in already agreed commitments”, “ addressing new and emerging challenges” and “ securing renewed political commitments to sustainable development”, will help concerned parties reach a consensus on how to develop sustainably as a global community.

Over the past decade, China has seen accelerated industrialization and urbanization processes which have enriched its connotations of sustainable development. Given the severe resources and environmental constraints on economic development, China has been compelled to transform its development mindset by innovating new modes of development, improving the capacity of sustainable development so as to make greater contributions to global sustainable development.

The idea of harmony between man and nature is a very important component of the traditional values of Chinese civilization. Since the turn of the new century, China has further deepened its understanding of the connotations of sustainable development and is making a great contribution in pursuit of global sustainable development.

The Chinese government has participated in three milestone conferences i.e. the United Nations Conference on Human development (also known as the Stockholm conference), United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also referred to as the Rio Conference) and the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (also known as the Johannesburg Summit) which are vital for the formation and development of the concept of sustainable development.

China is one of the first few countries to propose and implement sustainable development strategies. It has incorporated sustainable development into national strategies and began its full implementation. One major theory put forward by China is the scientific outlook of development which is based on China’s own realities, foreign experiences and new development situations both at home and abroad.  It has also proposed other concepts such as resource saving and environment friendly societies, innovation oriented countries, ecological civilization and green development concepts which it is putting into practice.

China has made efforts to carry out overall regional development strategies to set the national spatial development towards a coordinated and orderly direction. It has been accelerating the development of modern service industry; vigorously advocating green consumption and gradually improving the quality of development. Great importance has been attached to the improvement of the urban and rural environment and living conditions. There’s more greening and area coverage, and drinking water conditions have been greatly improved; with the millennium development goal of “halving the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water” being achieved six years ahead of schedule.

China firmly pursues its national policy of family planning, which has kept the population growth at sustainable levels, thus making a significant contribution to slowing down global population growth and reducing the population pressure on resources and the environment. 

Based on the development and the utilization of domestic mineral resources, China strives to improve the comprehensive development and utilization of resources by eliminating backward production capacity, strengthening energy conservation in key areas and developing new and renewable energy sources. Over the past decade, energy self sufficiency has remained at over 90% and China has become the world’s largest producer in terms of hydropower, wind power installed capacities and solar water heater collector area. Forest cover has increased from 16.55% in 2000 to 20.36% in 2010 and the national trend of ecological deterioration has been brought under control with national ecological environment quality improving significantly.

Relying on the support of Science and Technology and Human resources development, China has continuously increased investment in these areas. Through media campaigns, education and training, China has been able to raise awareness of the sustainable development, both nationwide and globally, encouraging active participation from Chinese people at home and is development partners abroad. These measures are set to compulsively promote the green economic development and social harmony and progress of both China and the rest of the world.

China is also keen on sharing its sustainable development lessons and success with the rest of the world and especially Africa which has emerged as China’s recent most important development partner. Sustainability is now a key priority in China’s Cooperation with Africa. In its Africa policy whitepaper, the Chinese government stated clearly that China and Africa should jointly explore a path to sustainable development. This is being pursued ardently by FOCAC, which has become the important platform for China and Africa to explore ways of cooperation for sustainable development.

Through FOCAC, China has supported Africa in improving people's livelihood, increasing employment and enhancing the ability of independent development through cooperation in agriculture, medical care, health, education, environment protection and human resources which have deepened. In order to improve African countries' abilities to adapt to climate change, China has been launching clean energy projects including solar power, biogas and small hydropower projects in Africa. It continues to explore affordable low-carbon technology transfers to African countries as they work together towards the common goal of sustainable development.

Thika road: Persevere today for a smoother tomorrow.

In this modern world, where almost everything is swift and instant, we can easily forget the virtues of patience and that sometimes, we need to wait a little bit longer to achieve the best results. In reference to an article published in the dailies recently, some users of the almost complete Thika road superhighway are already hard done by it and are blaming the Chinese contractors for the trouble. According to the article, the construction work and the road itself is a huge inconvenience to its users in terms of safety and navigation. Well: You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.

Modern highway and infrastructure projects take a lot of planning, time, resources and man-power, and these dynamics change periodically. The Nairobi Thika superhighway is no exception. This project; with the largest amount of investment ever since Kenya’s independence (estimated at ksh. 27 billion), is two-way six to eight-lane attached with side pavements, bicycle lanes, green belt, drainage system, lighting system, road signs and markings, traffic signals, flyovers and underpasses.

The three firms that have the contract for the highway project are all Chinese, and are the China Wu Yi Company, Shengli Engineering Construction and Synohydro Corporation Ltd. There have been delays and challenges owing to the high density of the population, high traffic, underground pipes and networks. Despite those challenges, the Chinese companies have worked with high efficiency and speed. Construction is almost done with most of the road open to users and it is now in the follow-up period of perfection and maintenance. It is now upon the road users to take responsibility of their safety by driving carefully even as the road nears completion and more safety measures are put in place.

Despite harsh judgment leveled against them, the contractors have erected temporary signs on the road to reduce accidents, but until the road is complete, drivers should exercise caution and drive safely especially at night when visibility is poor. China Wu-Yi has made steps of marking some parts of the highway and placed huge arrow markings at the entrance and exits of interchanges. They have also placed red, yellow and white stickers along the walls to help drivers at night. It is also important to note that the Chinese contractors are only hired to do the construction and they have no say when it comes to the design and other aspects of the road.

On full completion, which is expected to be by August 2012, the 50.4 km road will have clearly marked lanes, clear road signs, adequate lighting, designated pedestrian crossing and fly-overs among other safety measures put in place. The diversions and boulders, the noise and the dust etc, which are part and parcel of any construction work, will be gone.  

The appraisal report by the African development bank and the government projected fewer accidents as the outcome of the Improvement of Thika superhighway. The numbers have significantly reduced and with more care and strict adherence to road rules by individuals, they can be reduced further. It is shocking to see pedestrians making a dash across the four-lane and the other four in attempts to cross the road at undesignated places. They have ignored the warning signs put along the road and continue to endanger their lives. The fly-over at former globe round-about is not meant for pedestrians and despite the clear warning sign that pedestrians should not use it; they have been sharing the little space with vehicles ignoring their own safety. Drivers have been recklessly hitting the concrete boulders meant to divert traffic from dangerous spots and to protect construction workers and areas still under construction and blaming the contractors for putting them there. We should therefore have a little patience on the road as construction comes to a near end and improve our traffic culture to avoid the negative impacts of the ongoing road construction.

Nevertheless, there is more to look up to than mourn about when it comes to the Thika superhighway. The inconveniences we experience today cannot overweigh the benefits that this highway is set to present in the near future and the signs are already there for all to see. The highway has a strategic importance at the local, regional and international level. It is part of the international trunk road connecting Nairobi City with Ethiopia to the north. It will benefit the local farmers and traders, transport operators, Kenyan and Ethiopian importers and exporters as well as boost trade, tourism, agriculture and industrial sectors.

Kenya’s economy looses billions of shillings during traffic jams. The highway, which was necessitated by perennial traffic jams, is poised to open up new business opportunities and investments, giving both Nairobi’s and Thika’s Economies a major boost. Thika could soon be a suburb of Nairobi owing to the time it would take commuters to travel to the city center and back. It would take the an average of 40 minutes or less to travel between Thika and Nairobi; a major boost for traders and industries from both sides as well as workers living and working between the two towns.

Land value along the highway is appreciating fast; Investors and real estate developers are jostling for every available space along the road citing huge benefits once the road is complete. The highway will open up areas along the road making it a prime-land for both commercial and residential investments. New Infrastructure is playing a big role in increasing the value of land due to the speculative activities as the highway takes shape. Land prices along the road have increased by an average of 50% the last two years.

As a result of the superhighway, multi-million, classy residential areas, mini-cities are coming up. Tatu City, Thika greens golf Estate, Migaa golf course, flame tree, Oakfield valley, and Tatu city among others. These revolutionary suburbs are a gold mine for investors as well as housing for many middle –income Kenyans concentrated around the city center. The rise-of these gated community estates has revolutionized housing and lured many middle-income citizens to the prospects of enjoying modern mini-cities where all their needs are close to them.

The rise of these new communities has been coupled with demand for social amenities and even more investors are coming in to cash in on these new developments by offering services. At the Roysambu junction, a sh.450 million shopping mall with several supermarkets, cinema halls, conference centre’s, offices and over 300 parking spaces is already coming up and is ready to cash in. The mall also marks the entry of multinational Scandinavian supermarket chain, IKEA, which specializes in furniture. Local household names have not been left behind as the battle for new inhabitants with purchasing power begins. Uchumi supermarkets also plan to build another mall in an adjacent plot. Nakumatt is also set to build another mall along the road. In the fray, PepsiCo, a soft drinks maker, is putting up a 2.4 billion plant off Thika road. This trend indicates the need to serve a growing middle-income population along the superhighway providing immense opportunities for investors and better services for the people and a better economy for the country in general.

The Nairobi-Thika highway is indeed a blessing to Kenyans and there is no room for cynicism. We should be very grateful and supportive of all those involved in the project who include the African Development bank who’s investment in Lot 1 and 2 is 8.03 billion Ksh and 8.72 billion respectively and the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM), concessional loan to Lot 3 at 9.44 billion Ksh. The project designers include the Consulting Engineering Services from India and the proud Kenyan Engineering Company, Aviation Projects &Engineering Co Ltd. We must not forget the current administration for embarking on this project and attaching great importance to it and the over 4,000 local employees who have been involved in the process of transforming the old Thika road nightmare into a soon to be heavenly ride to greater things.