ABSTRACT
Before conducting an in-depth analysis of China, it is important to put the country in the international arena to see where it is doing better and where it is lagging. The former identifies opportunities, especially for firms doing business with Chinese and/or in China, to further develop and possibly even to lead in international sustainable transport practices. For instance, lessons about the development of metro systems in China may be valuable to other countries overseas. The latter identifies constraints that policy-makers and researchers have to be careful in recommending ‘ready solutions’ directly from the developed economies to China or other developing economies. For instance, the heavy reliance of coal in electricity generation in China means that a large-scale electrification of the automobile fleet may not generate as many environmental benefits as in countries where electricity is primarily dependent upon clean and renewable energy sources, such as the solar, wind and/or water systems.
