China’s transition to sustainability: which direction to take?

China’s unprecedented period of high economic growth over at least the last two decades has driven the country from a developing country in the 1980s towards being a new global superpower in the twenty-fi rst century. This development process has far-reaching consequences not only for the Chinese economy but in every corner of its society. It is not just a state-directed economy turning into a successful market economic growth model, combined with the growing importance of the service and industrial sectors vis-à-vis the agricultural sector, increasing integration in the global economy, and growing inequalities among the various regions and classes in China. The transformation taking place in China today has an equally farreaching impact on the relations between different government levels; on the multiple relations between China and the outside world; on the cultural diversifi cation that is brought in via (new) media and international exchanges; on the openness, transparency and accountability of the political processes and the leaders; and on the activities and organizational structures of civil society, to name but a few. Hence, China is not just a transitional economy; it is a modernizing society in full transition.