Jobs Mission to Asia

China is facing a terrible pollution problem. When we landed in Shanghai, we saw this very heavy haze over the city. It looked like a terrible fog. It actually was air pollution. In fact, part of our delegation was flying from Beijing into Shanghai and got within 10 minutes of landing, but had to turn back around and go back to Beijing because the "fog," as they call it, was so heavy that the plane could not land. China has surpassed the U.S. as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Half of its population lacks access to clean water. Some estimate about 300 million residents a day drink contaminated water and 90 percent of the urban water bodies are badly polluted. Water is a scarcity in China. China has the same land mass as the U.S., but a population of over 1.3 billion people.

China is one of the largest producers and consumers of agriculture products. Almost 40 percent of the labor force is engaged in agriculture, even though only 13 percent of the land is suitable for cultivation and agriculture, and agriculture only contributes 11 percent towards China's GDP.

China's growth is incredible. They are building so many roads now that GPS systems are not able to keep up. China produced approximately 17.5 million automobiles this year, and within five years they intend to increase that number to 25 million.

Source of data: U.S. Department of State