ODI’s Global China 2049 Initiative provides insight and analysis of China’s evolving geo-economic strategy and policies across different sectors as the country moves towards its 2049 modernisation and national rejuvenation target. This initiative is designed to help audiences think beyond the current day to day analysis of China. Global China 2049 goes beyond the popular postulations of superpower ambitions, economic performance and energy pathways to foster understanding of how China sees the world, not how the world sees China.

Our aim is to significantly enhance understanding of China’s perspectives and approaches to global challenge among a range of stakeholders and to help identify where interests and values may converge to enhance global development partnerships and inform means of doing business.

What are China’s modernisation goals?

The Chinese government set two centenary goals or Liang ge yibai nian to be achieved by 2021 and 2049, marking the centenaries of the Chinese Communist Party and the Republic of China respectively.

• By 2021, the Chinese government aims ‘to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects’ with an emphasis on targeted poverty reduction and alleviation measures.  
• By 2049, the Chinese government aims to ‘build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious’.

The achievement of these two centenary goals, written into the Chinese Communist Party’s constitution in 2012, will shape China’s long-term economic plans and inform the country’s approach to everything from geopolitical issues to climate change policies – and will ultimately underlie the CCP’s legitimacy as China’s governing party.

A new era

The role of China as a rising global power, an emerging consumer market and an investment opportunity has been widely discussed and documented amongst China watchers, investors and economists for decades.  However, under Xi Jinping China is heralding in a new era with stated ambitions to become a nation with ‘pioneering global influence’ by 2050.  China’s ambitions for a new era of influence, and global development initiatives such as “Belt & Road”, combined with a changing global risk landscape shaped by issues ranging from humanitarian crisis and demographic transition to cyber fragility and climate change, means numerous questions arise around what China’s emerging role in world affairs means in terms addressing complex global challenges and risks.  Where the West sees risk, China often sees opportunity. Where the West seeks to reinforce the existing establishment, China is creating new ones.

How China views global risks, the response measures it favours and the values and criteria that underpin China’s approach to international development, humanitarian action, environmental action and conflict resolution have both significant policy and practical relevance.  While questions abound, evidence-based analysis remains elusive.  

Our offer

The Global China 2049 Initiative aims to address these analysis gaps and provide an in-depth assessment of China’s ideas, approaches and investments to address global challenges and risks. Under the “Global China 2049” initiative, ODI is developing core outputs such as reports, commentary, training and bespoke advisory services targeted at a range of interested stakeholders across different sectors with vested interest in approaches to and outcomes of global challenges. This includes the development community, governments, national and transnational businesses, investors, economists and the finance community at large, and all China-watchers amongst others.

Our aim is to significantly enhance stakeholder's understanding of China’s views and approaches to addressing global challenges and help to identify where interests and values may converge to enhance global development partnerships and inform means of doing business. We are a team of researchers that combine expertise in the fields of economics, finance, environment, and political risk with an in-depth understanding of China’s domestic policy and external engagements, including the Belt and Road. 

Contact

For more information about Global China 2049 please contact [email protected]