OPINION:
While very few Americans would be likely to care about the story “China smog emergency shuts down city of 11 million people” (Web, Oct. 21), the future implications for the United States are potentially immense.
China’s population of 1.3 billion is static only because of the strict 34-year enforcement of their one-child policy. In addition to the referenced massive pollution, the water table of their Northern Plains breadbasket is down. China is in bad shape.
Contrast this with the nation’s large-scale military buildup amid rising nationalism and a belief in racial superiority stoked by a communist dictatorship. China’s economy is poised to eclipse ours by the end of the decade, while it owns increasing amounts of our national debt.
In light of these factors, it may be only a matter of time before the Chinese begin to believe that they, rather than we, should be enjoying this land of milk and honey.
D.A. SAMS
West Jefferson, Ohio
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