Most of the talk about carbon border taxes involves imposing taxes/charges in a manner that might discriminate against China and other developing countries. But could China impose a border tax of its own? They might not be there quite yet, but they seem to be thinking about these kinds of taxes:
At the 2007 Forum on China Energy Sustainable Development in Beijing last weekend, an official from the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) disclosed that it was quite likely car owners in China would be taxed for their car emissions in the future.
According to Yang Chaofei, Director of the SEPA Policy Department, authorities inside the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and SEPA are now conducting research on taxation for pollution and other emissions.
Yang explained that drivers would be taxed for the pollutants emitting from their cars, for example, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. They might have to pay the tax when purchasing petrol. A separate pollution tax would target enterprises; companies would pay for producing products that discharge high levels of pollution.
Note that last part: "companies would pay for producing products that discharge high levels of pollution." When the U.S. and EU have been considering these kinds of measures, there are often suggestions that foreign products must be subject to the law as well, leading to border taxes. I wonder if China will take this approach.