The Economist on China's problems with pollution & poor health care:

Still, solving these problems cannot be fast, easy or free of cost. One way or another, the government needs to claw back some of the gains that people have made in the boom years. Instinctively, people do appear to understand that in the new China, the ability to get rich carries greater individual responsibilities: the savings ratio has shot up to over 40%, one of the highest in the world. But as they are increasingly asked to pay—through higher taxes, medical fees and insurance premiums—for things the state used to provide, citizens will surely want a greater say in how their money is spent. China's Communist leaders may be on the way to tackling health care and pollution, but how they cope with growing calls for accountability remains to be seen. The courts, and increasingly-assertive media, can do a certain amount. But of democracy—the best form of accountability—there is so far not the slightest sign. Booming China has $470 billion of foreign reserves stashed away, and cash can soothe a lot of growing pain. But the demand for votes will grow.