Editorial: The price we pay for modernization

• Source: Global Times
• [23:33 June 29 2009]
• Comments

Initial reaction to the news that a building under construction in Shanghai had simply collapsed was angry: How could safety have been so poor?

Fortunately, the building – which was going to contain residential apartments – collapsed before anyone had moved in. That was a relief, but what about the quality of the countless other apartment buildings being constructed now, or already finished?

Safety incidents are reported virtually daily in Chinese media. Yesterday, for example, a passenger train collision killed three people in Hunan Province. The same day, a highway bridge in Heilongjiang Province collapsed, killing one and injuring 15 people.

Such incidents typically produce a swift investigation in which high-level government officials make on-site assessments of the areas where the accidents occurred. The public expects a culprit to be found and held accountable, and for the officials in charge to be sacked for being derelict in their duties.

Reducing safety incidents has been a top government priority, but the result has hardly been impressive. In fact, the achievements of three decades of fast economic development are marred by frequent deadly accidents.

China is like a big engine that has been running at full speed for 30 years. But there is good reason to question whether the engine is heading toward danger of being overturned.

Statistics on safety incidents in China are startling. China’s death toll for every 100 million yuan ($14.63 million) of its GDP is 10 times the level in developed countries; the mortality rate in the industrial sector per 100,000 workers is double the level in developed countries; and the death rate in China for producing 1 million tons of coal is 50 times the average of developed nations.

Presumably, every tragic accident can be attributed to a lack of safety awareness, or insufficient governmental supervision. But a more basic reason is China’s obsession with fast growth under the lofty goal of modernization.

No doubt, China needs fast growth to feed its large population and satisfy the growing demand of its citizens, but fast growth can’t solve every problem.

Modernization doesn’t make much sense if people don’t have a tangible sense of prosperity and safety, if they can’t rest assured that the food they are consuming is safe, and if they have to worry that the building they live in or the bridges they drive on could collapse.

Firing a few officials won’t solve the problem. China must shift away from its worship of fast growth and instead emphasize quality and safety. Otherwise, the future will be rife with further safety incidents.

It can’t be stressed enough: each life is priceless. Innocent lives shouldn’t be the price paid for China’s modernization.