The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won, Revised and Expanded Edition

A Chinese Grapes of Wrath

The once green pastures of eastern Inner Mongolia [in China] lately resemble a scene from the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Sand storms emanating from these desertified grasslands have become an increasingly common irritant in Northern Chinese cities, and their effects have recently been felt as far away as Colorado.

—American Embassy in China

Say the word desert, and the first word that is likely to pop into your head might be Sahara or Mojave—certainly not China. In truth, China is one of the most desert-plagued nations on Earth. Fully one-fourth of its land mass, primarily in the northwestern part of the country, is desiccated dust. Within another 20 years, some experts predict that almost 40 percent of China ...