The severe winter storms in china have had a disruptive effect upon China. Especially hit has been the rail networks, which have been unable to cope with the effects, including travelers who are trying to go home for the Chinese New Year. It has also been disruptive of electrical production which requires a steady delivery of coal to power stations for continued operation; about 40% of rail transport is used for coal hauling.
In the near future we will be going into Susan Shirk's "China Fragile Superpower," which upon a quick perusal appears to be primarily concerned with political rather than infrastructure issues. However, infrastructure issues and other areas such as environment are also important for China's continuing stability.
The January 31, 2008 issue of the International Herald Tribune, Asia-Pacific edition describes the storms effect upon the rail system.
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2 comments:
Norman
I have been following this story with posts on my blog. The last I heard the government asked migrant workers to stay put for the holidays.
The factories historically shut down for approximately three weeks for the New Years celebration. I wonder with their strong work ethic, since they can't travel will they continue to work? Or can they with the energy crisis?
This story is really interesting to me, especially in light of what Angie posted about China's weather being similar to ours in NC. I'm feeling badly for the people who are forced to remain at their work homes instead of being able to return to their holiday homes.
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