China’s period of rapid industrialization generated unsustainable waste and posed significant threats to humans, wildlife, and the environment. A handful of dedicated environmental activists in China pushed for policy change, leveraging technological and educational collaboration between American and Chinese scientists and preexisting U.S. regulatory approaches to manage China’s pollution problem. However, China’s approach to environmental regulation ultimately took a different path to accommodate its ongoing development process. Despite their differences, the two countries play critical roles in the global effort to develop environmental solutions.
In Ma Tianjie’s new book In Search of Green China, he recounts how public outrage pushed China towards an environmental awakening, inspiring policies that prioritized environmental protection without giving up economic development. What role will China play in the global environmental movement as it pursues its green transition?
Ma Tianjie joins the National Committee on June 19, 2025 to describe the stunning story behind China’s environmental awakening.
Ma Tianjie
Ma Tianjie is a freelance writer and environmental activist based in Beijing. Formerly, he was Director of China Dialogue Beijing from 2015 to 2022, reporting on China’s environmental affairs for a global audience. He was also Greenpeace’s Program Director for Mainland China. He is a regular commentator on China’s environmental challenges contributing to a range of domestic and international media organizations, including CGTN, South China Morning Post and Foreign Policy.