The thing is, China is already making significant efforts to rein in pollution and encourage conservation.  And we need to recognized and applaud that as a most basic prerequisite to persuading the Chinese that we are partners in this and not pushy meddlers:

Jonathan Lash: China's Climate Change Playbook is Worth Reading

... Contrary to popular belief, China is already implementing a comprehensive energy policy that addresses climate change.

While China's climate-change challenge equals the U.S. in scale, China's emissions footprint is fundamentally different. In the U.S., one-third of energy use and CO2 emissions come from transportation. In China, transport accounts for just 10 percent of emissions, and industry is the biggest contributor by far. So, Chinese policy appropriately focuses most strongly on reducing emissions from industry.  China is replacing old inefficient power plants with state-of-the-art new units. It closed down more than 1,000 inefficient cement plants and hundreds of power plants last year, as well as steel mills, smelters, and glass and paper manufacturers, resulting in more efficient, less polluting industries.

Over the last three years, the Chinese government has introduced a series of regulations on energy conservation, resource use, and recycling. The stance of China's leaders is that energy conservation and efficiency come first -- well before the search for new fossil fuel sources.

But are these policies translating into action? It looks like they are. The "Thousand Enterprises Program" -- which forces the country's biggest companies to make specific energy-reduction commitments -- is meeting its goals. By 2010, this program will reduce China's coal consumption by 100 million metric tons, approximately 5 percent of annual CO2 emissions for China or the U.S.

We will all see the results of strenuous short-term measures, such as closing power plants, staggering working hours and limiting vehicles, during the Olympics. But China also has long-term policies in place for reducing coal dependence, increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing pollution.

That article also references this paper:

China's Booming Energy Efficiency Industry | World Resources Institute

China's energy efficiency industry is emerging as a high growth sector with the country projected to spend as much as Rmb2.1 trillion (USD300 billion) over the next five years on products and services that cut energy use. The key drivers of this development are the Chinese government's determination to curb the country's expanding energy appetite as well as higher production and energy costs. Firms that develop cost-effective energy-saving technologies, particularly for the most energy-intensive industries, are poised to capture the opportunities. If successful, these enterprises will not only become profitable, but will also help lead China to a more sustainable energy future.

So again, if we are going to talk to China about reducing their carbon emissions and energy consumption, let's at least start off on the right foot by acknowledging and saluting them for the good things they are already doing.

Cynicism is intellectual treason.