This third China Human Development Report (CHDR) deals with China’s challenge at the crossroads towards sustainable development. China’s development is central to global stability. Annual growth rates have been averaging nearly 10% the last 20 years. Also government reforms over the last 20 years have reduced poverty for a quarter of the population. China’s rapid transition towards a market-based economy and entry into the WTO are changing the global scene. And the world has never witnessed such a fast pace of urban modernization that we see today in China. The challenges of fulfilling a vision of green development in China are monumental, requiring a complex orchestration of policies and activities at a scale of operation the world has never seen. There is commitment, and there is awareness but still the right choices have to be made to achieve green development.