Spring 2016 Geography C135 Final Project

SNWT contains political implications.

 

From the previous introduction, SNWT is directed by the central government who belongs to Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is a part of the national agenda.

 

Basically, it was the core of the 10th Five-Year-Plan from 2001 to 2005, and it is the key part of former Chairman, Hu Jintao’s “Scientific Development Policy” which aimed to use technologies and modern policies to address Chinese resource challenges (James).

 

For the reform in late 20th century, industry developed greatly in northern China. But it also caused rural-urban and regional inequality of post-reform China. Water is a fundamental ingredient of socio-economic development, SNWT established a new spatial pattern of inequality:

 

1. SNWT reflects the Chinese government’s normative: the stance is on where growth and development should be mostly concentrated. Therefore, smaller cities and rural towns are marginalized and losing out.

 

2. SNWT reflects the prioritization of north China’s water needs over those of the donor basin region in south-central China. SNWT prioritizes water needs of Beijing. When the project is completed, Beijing no longer relies on the resources from adjacent provinces (James). For south-central China, the area sacrifices water to meet the needs of the north. Thirdly, SNWT reflects existing spatially articulated power discrepancies, exacerbates inequality by prioritizing Beijing’s present and future water needs. Thus, SNWT shows the political nature of water management of human interests and institutions.