From the article:
The number of Chinese children under 14 suffering from diabetes has almost tripled over the past 25 years, research has found.

A survey undertaken by the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai showed that between 1997 and 2000, the ratio of children suffering from the disease in the city was 1.7 per 100 thousand. A similar survey conducted in the 1980s put the ratio at just 0.61 per 100 thousand.

The causes of diabetes is complex. Medical experts believe an unbalanced diet, failure of the autoimmune system and environmental factors are involved.

My opinion:
It is little surprise that modern diseases such as Diabetes propagate in countries that adopt Modern Western lifestyles.  We hear a lot in the news about China’s emerging economy, but we hear very little about the health conditions that accompany this boom.

“Medical experts have theorised that the cause of the rising Diabetes epidemic is due to environmental and diet factors.”

If the inhabitants of China continue the adoption a sedentary lifestyle, rich in grains and sugars, it is very likely they’ll also experience the accompanying modern diseases.

One can only hope that China has the fortitude and wisdom to deal with Diabetes better than their western counterparts.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/