What Does Crisis Mean For China?

The world economic crisis manifests itself in eery ways. In China’s capital, Beijing, the  early spring air is cleaner than it has been in years and at the city’s many bus terminals, daily departures to the provinces have risen sharply. With exports in steep decline — down  17 percent  in January — Chinese factories are cutting back production with resulting large-scale lay-offs of workers who are returning to their  villages in the hinterland. With fewer factories running at full capacity, heavy- industrial districts near Beijing are polluting less, hence bluer skies.