Asia Scotland Institute and China Futures Society were delighted to welcome Dr Yizhe Daniel Xie 謝毅哲 사의철 シャキテツ to The University of Edinburgh on 27th February to discuss ‘China’s Challenges and Opportunities under a Second Trump Administration’.
The discussion began with an exploration of current politico-economic challenges facing China before moving on to how China’s innovations in electric vehicles and semiconductors, rooted in Chinese education’s emphasis on STEM, could help counter this economic slowdown.
We examined how free trade agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), could be leveraged by Beijing to extend its commercial influence in the context of an isolationist trade policy under Trump’s administration.
Finally, we addressed the recent UN vote on Ukraine, where the U.S. sided with Russia and discussed what this U-turn on the U.S.’ traditional role as the global advocate for Western liberal values and institutions could mean for the balance of power between the U.S. and China, as well as the broader direction of global political leadership.
A huge thank you to Eleanor de Renzy Channer for moderating the event – we look forward to future partnership events! We would also like to thank Daniel Xie for taking the time to speak to MA Hons Chinese students at the University of Edinburgh following the talk.
