1 PARTICIPATORY CITIZENSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: REDEFINING “PUBLIC ” IN CONTEMPORARY

China’s ecological future is a global concern. The concern intensifies simultaneously with China’s economic volume approaching the world’s first-class economies. Will China keep its development on track without being derailed by the environmental woes? This paper examines the joint efforts of state and society in meeting such challenges. Different from previous studies emphasising either institutional reform or environmental movements, this study looks at changes taking place in the space between state and society. Drawing on the Nu River controversy, the paper attempts to delineate the contours of an emerging “green ” public sphere in China. It also attempts to extend the findings to the discussion on the “Asian century”. Towards this end, a brief comparison with Japan is included at the end of the paper