The geopolitical conflict between China and the West - Einzelansicht

For decades, Western observers assumed that China will eventually become an open, democratic society. Furthermore, many policy makers expected that China will eventually depart from its mercantilist approach in both trade and investment policies. The increasingly assertive, if not aggressive foreign policy of China has made it very clear that China is different and will remain different. The West ”got China wrong” (The Economist, March 2018). Today, the rise of China is seen with skepticism in many OECD-countries. The geopolitical conflict between China and the West appears to be the most pressing issue in international relations for years to come.   Against this background, the future of international relations, including trade and investment flows, will very much depend on policies of both developed as well as developing countries towards China. Some of the questions to be discussed in the seminar will be:

• What did Western governments expect from a rising China?
• Is the Chinese government eager to decouple? Will a new economic iron curtain emerge?
•  How robust is the Chinese economy? Has credit in China spiraled out of control?
•  What are the effects of China’s ”Belt and Road Initiative”? Is China becoming the region’s banker – and is Beijing willing exercise its rights?
•  China and India – Will New-Delhi join the new alliance of liberal democracies against China?
•  The increasing influence of China: Beijing’s ”sharp power” and its effects on affected countries
•  The asymmetric investment policies of China: Will the West have to develop restrictions on Chinese foreign direct investment?
•  Are the increasingly authoritarian policies of the Chinese Communist Party a sign of strength or of weakness? What are the instruments of internal control?
• Is China contributing to the development of poorer countries or is it exploiting them in a neo-colonial fashion?
• What are the potential responses of liberal democracies to the rise of autocratic regimes in both China and Russia? Are new groups likely to emerge?

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