You haven't been back to China since 2007? You can't imagine how much better it has gotten since then. I went once every 2 years from 2009 to 2017, and I could see progress, especially in Beijing (the other place I visited regularly was Dalian, same thing):
- dusty dumps and wild parking lots replaced with green spaces and young saplings
- the smog that didn't allow you to see across the street simply disappeared - gone ! Pollution went from Mexico-like to Paris-like in less than a decade;
- public transportation was already good, it got better;
- many vehicles went from gas and diesel to propane and electric, especially taxis.
There's a reason why NASA recently thanked China : they actually managed to grow stuff in deserts, and substantial surfaces of it at that. And while China has the highest power consumption level in the world, it also has the highest population too - a Chinese uses 2.5 less carbon-based energy than a North American.
Pot, this is kettle.