"The Bad Die Young", Jul 2014

Corner-cutting, low industry standards and shoddy materials have turned the products of China's rampant construction boom into ticking time bombs...[B]uildings are collapsing almost as quickly as they can be erected...Apart from the illegal use of sea sand in urban construction, poor-quality steel and adulterated cement have been discovered on construction sites across China...To help fuel its construction boom and minimize delays in the launch of new projects, China has set lower standards on the major load-bearing frames of all buildings, a key factor in the longevity of a new construction..."To guarantee the bottom line, contractors will try every means to cut corners," [an industry insider in Hebei Province] told NewsChina...The fact that no independent regulator exists, and that government interests favor speedy construction, only serves to further destabilize the situation...