They say China will grow old before it grows wealthy. You might have to add that it will choke to a standstill if it grows any faster. Last week came the news China had displaced the U.S. as the world’s largest trading power by sum of exports and imports. Another first perhaps for the world’s factory workshop, although it is likely to be somewhat bittersweet as the costs of this growth mount. This past month, pollution in Beijing has reached such proportions that it has been dubbed “airpocalypse” or “airmageddon” by Internet users. Roads have been closed and flights cancelled, amid thick-smog-generated pollution ... (full story)