East Asia: Review and Self-
1. Environment: East Asia’s most serious environmental problems result from its high population density combined with its rapid urbanization and environmentally unsustainable economic development. Climate change may intensify the droughts and floods that have long plagued this region.
Why has East Asia suffered for so many years from enormously destructive droughts and devastating floods? What has been done to protect the population from such hazards?
How might the melting of China’s highest glaciers affect the country’s rivers? Which areas might be more affected than others?
In which ways is China more vulnerable to global warming than Japan, the Koreas, or Taiwan?
2. Globalization and Development: East Asia pioneered a spectacularly successful economic development strategy that has transformed economies across the globe. Governments in Japan and then Taiwan, South Korea, and eventually China intervened strategically in the economy to encourage the production of manufactured goods destined for sale abroad, primarily to the large economies of North America and Europe.
East Asian countries are able to buy food on the global market but not produce the food they need at home. What problems might this create both for East Asia and the rest of the world?
What is East Asia’s, and especially Japan’s, role in the global harvesting of wild-
3. Power and Politics: As East Asia has developed economically, the pressure for more political freedoms has grown. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are now among the more politically free places in the world, and demands for political change in China are increasing, especially in urban areas.
How is the Internet emerging as a tool to promote the expansion of political freedoms in China?
How has China’s government responded to protests and other efforts to promote political change by Chinese citizens?
Why do some criticize Japan as lacking a vigorous democracy?
Why do so many countries claim control of uninhabited islands in or near the waters of East Asia?
4. Urbanization: Across East Asia, cities have grown rapidly over the last century, fueled by export-
How has China’s focus on export-
What role did SEZs and ETDZs play in China’s economic reforms?
What major milestone did China’s reach in 2013?
What special role has Hong Kong played in China’s transformation?
What sets Shanghai apart among China’s major cities?
5. Population and Gender: Although East Asia remains the most populous world region, families here are having far fewer children than in the past, resulting in populations that are aging. Meanwhile, the legacy of China’s now largely abandoned “one child” policy, combined with an enduring cultural preference in China for male children, has created a shortage of females.
Why do most families want a male child? What problems have been created by the resulting shortage of women?
What problems of an aging society are arising in Japan that are related to its rapidly aging population? What might be the solutions to such problems?