Abstract

The imperatives of sustainability, and the challenges for sustainable development, are especially pronounced in China due to the sheer size of the population and the economy, and the fast pace of change in social and economic dimensions. Small scale studies can contribute to the building up of a better understanding of the form and function of sustainability priorities and initiatives and in turn inform practice and research into alternative strategies and outcomes. The objective of this paper is to provide a modest contribution to the body of knowledge about sentiment and practice in China around sustainability by exploring and comparing contemporary views of commentators and managers about the state of play of sustainable development priorities and initiatives. Contemporary views of commentators in the mass media and other literature are examined in order to gain some current examples of opinions and activities around sustainability in China. These views are compared to perceptions of managers about sustainability that are discerned from a questionnaire administered to a group of senior managers from China as they visited Australia on a fact finding tour about balancing economic, environmental, and social performance – and the study reports on similarities and differences and notes some avenues for research.