Food and Drug Safety, Public Health, and the Environment in China

The recent bird flu outbreak, reports of dead pigs and contaminated food products, and dangerous levels of air pollution, have raised concerns among both China's own citizens and American consumers about the Chinese government's ability to cope with these problems. To what extent has China been forthcoming to its citizens and the international community about incidents involving pollution, food and drug safety, and public health hazards? What is the extent of Chinese cooperation with U.S. officials and the international community on these issues? And how much freedom do Chinese citizens, consumer groups, lawyers, and the media have to monitor and report on these issues and advocate for enforcement of the law and official accountability?