Wishing China Well

04 Sep 2007 – John Elkington

Once upon a time, they used to say that when General Motors sneezed America caught a cold. These days, I reflected as our China Air 737 banked out of Beijing and began the long climb out of the smog that blankets the city – and as a man behind me sneezed convulsively, continuously – the modern variant ought to be: When China sneezes the rest of the world probably ought to run for cover. The country’s innumerable pig and chicken farms, and its shudderingly awful wild animal markets, are all potentially powerful incubators of pandemics that (as recent influenza outbreaks and the SARS story have shown) all-too-easily burst out into the wider world. Over the coming decades these problems can only be amplified by the growth of the country’s (and the world’s) swarming megacities.

The epicentre of the 2003 SARS outbreak turned out to have been wild game markets. Yet, as Time magazine put it that same year, “It turns out that few people actually enjoy the taste of pangolin, a scaly anteater whose flesh is a blend of gristle and rubber. The same goes for the nocturnal civet, which has a gamy aftertaste that even the thickest brown sauce can’t mask. And who really enjoys camel hump, which tastes just as you’d expect a blubbery lump to taste?” But, as Hannhab Beech put it in her article ‘Noxious Nosh’ (Time, June 2, 2003), “flavor isn’t what really matters to many of the diners tucking into China’s wildlife menagerie.” Instead, she quoted a Shanghai-based restaurateur – who had specialized in cobra and other wild animals until SARS knocked the stuffing out of wild-flavour cuisine – to the effect that business men were eating the stuff simply to display their wealth.

So it’s welcome news that an array of health issues will take centre stage this week at the inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian. “Finding innovative solutions to the challenges of infectious pandemics and chronic diseases is key to ensuring long-term economic development and the well being of nations worldwide,” as the World Economic Forum puts it. “More than ever it is critical for all stakeholders, including the next generation of leaders, to join forces to address global health issues such as rising healthcare costs, the devastating effects of AIDS, the rising burden of chronic diseases and innovations in healthcare,” says Jean-Pierre Rosso, Chairman of the Forum’s Centre of Global Industries.

The health side of the Dalian agenda is due to cover such topics as: the business case for tackling AIDS; the future of healthcare and pensions in China; the prevention of chronic diseases; healthcare innovation in emerging markets; and new frontiers in biotechnology and nanotechnology. The fight against AIDS has been a key area of focus for the Forum for many years – and the issue is particularly relevant here in China, where infection rates and the number of reported cases have seen a steep increase.

Key issues here, though I wonder to what extent they will be publicly discussed, include transparency (or the lack of it here) and the way in which NGOs are viewed. This was underscored for me a few moments ago when I tried to access the websites of two highly respected organisations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, from my hotel room – and both showed as inaccessible. Uncomfortably, part of wishing China well also means that we ought to wish NGOs – both home-grown and international – well, as they try to provide the information and political impetus needed to ensure effective, timely action.