Rising waters imperil a world of progress in southern China delta

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN and JOSH HANER

The rising South China Sea and the overstressed Pearl River network lie about 3 feet or so below much of this new multitrillion-dollar development — and they are poised to drown decades of progress, scrambling global supply chains and raising prices on goods.

GUANGZHOU, China — The rains brought torrents, pouring into basements and malls, the water swiftly rising a foot and a half.

The city of Dongguan, a manufacturing center in the world’s most dynamic industrial region, was hit especially hard by the downpour in May 2014. More than 100 factories and shops were inundated.

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