Rapid economic growth in the world's most populous nation is leading to widespread soil erosion, decertification, deforestation and the depletion of vital natural resources. The scale and severity of environmental problems in China now threaten the economic and social foundations of its modernization.

International Aid and China's Environment analyses the relationship between international and local responses to environmental problems in China. The book challenges the prevailing wisdom that weak compliance is the only constraint upon local environmental management in China. It advances two interrelated discussions: First, it constructs a conceptual framework for understanding the key dimensions of environmental capacity.