China's New 5 Percent Tax on Disposable Wooden Chopsticks,reflecting Concerns

China's new 5 percent tax on disposable wooden chopsticks,reflecting concerns about deforestation,has been praised by environmentalists.The move is hitting hard at the Japanese,who consume 25 billion sets of wooden chopsticks annually.Almost all of the chopsticks used in Japan come from China.The requirement for Chinese manufacturers of wooden chopsticks to pay the 5 percent tax is a _____ factor in their external environment.

A) competitive
B) social
C) demographic
D) technological
E) legal