Abstract

The policies related to a circular economy are analyzed that have been conducted in China since 2009 as part of a development strategy based on the variety of territorial subdivisions involved. Are such policies, decided at each level of territorial organization, a genuine alternative or a dejà-vu? Chinese policies related to the circular economy stand out from what Germany, the Netherlands or Japan have adopted owing not only to their method of implantation but also to their limitations. China is the only developing country that is pursuing the adventure of a circular economy. Since this new “unidentified object” inherently bears a systemic viewpoint on both techniques and principles, how to measure or assess it? The challenges and limitations of such policies are described along with the particularities that make this national policy a model that can be neither imported nor exported.