Rustat Conference on China's Role in the World
The Belt and Road initiative is probably the biggest global infrastructure ever undertaken. To some, it is a massive investment in international commerce, and one to be firmly welcomed. To others, it is a worrying part of a global domination strategy. To others, it is some of both.
China is also making great changes domestically. In 2015, the Chinese government announced “Made in China 2025", a plan to enhance innovation and production efficiency. By 2049, Chinese leaders want it to be the world’s top manufacturer. The core goals are to move from a mass-producer to a quality-master.
However, China's role in the world has not been without debate and contention. Donald Trump, for example, implicated Chinese exports as the source of many of America's domestic issues (whether rightly or wrongly). At the sme time domestic demand in China is slumping. Innovation and research are emerging as necessary not just aspirational goals.
We ask: how might China's role in the world change across the next decade and half century? What will this mean for us in the UK? How should we manage the interaction of two sets of very different world-views? Will the rise of China mean a lowering for Europe or the US, or can all benefit?
