East Asia Watch

The toxic threat to China's rise

The 'hidden' costs of environmental pollution are huge and may rise if safeguards are removed in the interests of boosting a Covid-19-stricken economy

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Qingxia, a village of 1,500 in the industrial city of Zhuzhou in Hunan province, has the ignominy of being one of hundreds of "cancer villages" in China.

As much as 10 per cent of its population suffer from cancer, a startling number when put against the national average of 1 per cent.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 13, 2020, with the headline The toxic threat to China's rise. Subscribe