For instance, earlier this year Chinese environmental campaigners took Apple to task for using suppliers they claimed were guilty of polluting.

ECONOMIST: Smart thinking is needed about smart gadgets�� influence

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing publishes AQI values for Beijing and other cities in China, and the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection provides its own air quality data for cities throughout the country.

FORBES: Air Quality In China

Tighter diesel fuel standards could help reduce vehicle emissions by as much as 15%, according to Yue Xin, head of the vehicle fuels and emissions lab at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, which is affiliated with the Environmental Protection Ministry.

WSJ: China's Pollution Fight Faces Resistance

The Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) has long-established links with the country including the China Bridge Project, which is aimed at tackling environmental issues like global food security as well as a collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences based on the environmental sciences.

BBC: Lancaster University wins award for China links

Progressive environmental policies from the Chinese government combined with an increasingly green-minded public is fueling what some are calling a clean technology renaissance around the country.

CNN: Can cleantech China teach the West how to be green?

The U.S. has major reserves of the vital minerals, but a combination of tough environmental rules and lowball Chinese pricing drove the main domestic producer out of business.

FORBES: Four Inexpensive Ways To Restore America's Future

So far, Chinalco has respected labor rights, has not imported Chinese laborers, has complied with environmental laws, and has invested in the community while maintaining a network of local communications.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Questionable Chinese mining practices in Latin America

In environmental news, Xinhua flags up a survey by the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences showing that only 22.2%of shallow groundwater in the North China Plain is drinkable because of pollution.

BBC: China media: Vietnam row