Background

The pandemic has accelerated prevailing trends and triggered new ones in China. Erosion of Deng-Era institutions has led to centralization of power and coloured China’s response to the pandemic. An emphasis on ‘dual circulation’ and boosting domestic consumption to reduce reliance on exports will impact China’s position in global supply chains. A pivot towards self-sufficiency in face of US-China tensions will prioritize high technology capabilities. The clampdown on homegrown technology giants even as digitization gains prominence will significantly impede their global ambitions.

Industry players worldwide will need to re-adjust their global strategies to account for these new realities as geopolitics takes a prominent seat in boardrooms. Debates around re-shoring, de-coupling and dependency will continue long after the pandemic abates. This panel discussion combined policy, sectoral and global perspectives to take stock of the predicament.

The detailed outcome report can be viewed and downloaded as a pdf file on this site.