#BRIDialogues

In #BRIDialogues D-41 we are pleased to be joined by Professor Kerry Brown @Bkerrychina
Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute @lauchinainst at @KingsCollegeLon.
From 2012 to 2015 he was Professor of Chinese Politics and Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, #Australia.
Prior to this he worked at @ChathamHouse from 2006 to 2012, as Senior Fellow and then Head of the Asia Programme. From 1998 to 2005 he worked at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as First Secretary at the British Embassy in #Beijing, and then as Head of the #Indonesia #Philippine and East Timor Section.
He previously graduated from Cambridge University @Cambridge_Uni and has a PhD in Chinese politics and language from @UniversityLeeds
He is the author of 20 books on modern Chinese politics among them 'China Incorporated: The Politics of a World Where China is Number One' and ‘The Great Reversal’, a comprehensive history of Britain’s relations with China, which is scheduled for release by Yale University Press in 2024, alongside a study of Taiwan with @PenguinBooks
In this episode we take a deeper dive, decoding, deciphering, and dissecting the role of culture and political culture in China’s rise and ascendancy.
We kicked off by asking Kerry if the United States is suffering from the same fate of Dorian Gray effect and the famous story of Oscar Wilde, having fallen in love with the image of Neo-Liberalism to Western Universalism & Western Exceptionalism to No- Realism (Not Neo but No Realism) that we live in a multipolar world. Kerry provides great insights for us.
We also delved deeper into the phenomenon of “The West” and “The Rest” trying to make sense of Global South’s position. Kerry is a realist, and a pragmatist who invites us to not search for a cure in our perceived fears from China, but to go within and ask ourselves why there is this sense of insecurity in the West in the first place?
We also discussed the UK's ambiguous role in the fast-changing international system and in this regard Kerry reminded us that the UK is a Middle Power with a residual of Great Power ambition, which has consequences for its role conception as well as policy choices going forward into this unpredictable new world.
On UK-PRC relations, Kerry advises that China certainly considers UK’s weight and remaining relevance in capital markets, banking, and finance as significant, but other than that China sees the UK as dispensable in great power politics, thus urging London to focus on its resources more fully and build a more balanced and nuanced geopolitical posture.
We further discussed the ramifications of second term of a Trump presidency and how the EU could respond, agreeing that this time around changing the dance partner in trade between Washington and Beijing will be even harder to manage.
Kerry underlined that we are essentially entering the eye of the storm of 'messy ambiguity' and what perhaps we can call 'diplomessy' more than diplomacy!
Kerry is also President-Elect of the Kent Archaeological Society and an Affiliate of the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit at Cambridge University.
The BRI Dialogues provide support and insights for senior executives and decision makers in both private and public sectors, on China and its BRI programme of activities.
Our overriding aim is to establish a clearer appreciation of how to ‘COPE’ with China. COPE in BRI Dialogues means how to deal with Complexities, to capitalise on Opportunities, to understand her return to Power, and brace for the impact of Externalities of China.
So here is D41 (Dialogue 41), sit back and get engaged in the conversation and share your thoughts, comments and insights. We are excited about our series of serious conversations and are grateful to you for giving up some of your valuable time to tune in.
#China #EU #ChinaEUSummit #BRI #Geopolitics #decoupling #GlobalSouth #culture #G77 #Development #BRICS + #privatewealth #wealthtransition #familyoffice #Growth #politicalculture #trump #USElection