The following is an English translation of an article by Martin Jacques that appeared in the People’s Daily, 22nd December 2017.
At the end of 2017 uncertainty dominates the outlook for the future. As we can now see with great clarity, the Western financial crisis of 2007-8 proved the most important turning point in the West since 1945. For a decade, the Western economies have been mired in varying degrees of stagnation, not least with regard to living standards. And it was the Great Recession that begat the Great Populist Uprising in 2016. The latter signalled the end of the hegemony of neo-liberalism in the West, which began in 1980 with the arrival of Reagan and Thatcher and was characterised by hyper-globalisation, privatisation and a huge growth in inequality. The Uprising was driven by large swathes of the population in both the United States and Britain whose living standards had more or less stagnated for four decades. It was a popular revolt against the governing elites by those who felt left behind and who held these elites responsible for their deteriorating situation. Politically the new mood was articulated most clearly, though not solely, by the right, notably Trump in America and the Brexiteers in the UK.
Part 1: How does China’s global outlook differ from the West’s?
‘The idea of a common future, or a sense of shared destiny, has become a very powerful theme of Chinese foreign policy’
In Part 1 of Martin Jacques on China (presented by CGTN), Martin Jacques explains China’s growing influence on the world stage, and considers why its global outlook is so different to that of Western countries. Read more >
The United States and China wrapped up two days of high level economic talks without any agreement. The two sides said they had what they described as a frank exchange, but failed to agree on major bilateral trade and economic issues. Martin Jacques provides gives his views in an interview for the international news broadcaster TRT World.
YouGov-Cambridge Seminar on ‘Trump, Putin and Russia-West relations’ with Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, Dr Asye Zarakol, Daniel Hannan and Marcus Roberts.
All eyes are on China’s two sessions, seeking clues about the future
Editor’s note: Each year in early March, China’s top legislature and political advisory body convene in Beijing for their annual meetings known as the two sessions. China Daily will present the highlights of the meetings, which run from March 3 to 15.
China’s big annual two sessions political meeting could be one of the most important in recent years, given the uncertain international backdrop, according to experts.
Some 5,000 participants from the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, will descend on Beijing for the event.
IN recent months, the rise of nationalism had been associated with the return of xenophobia, anti-immigration, populism and far-right neofascist conservatism.
Nationalism has been much maligned and made the scapegoat for Brexit, for the rise of Donald Trump, for Putinism and China’s intransigence on issues like Taiwan.
Putin’s expansion towards the East has been construed in certain media circles as a revival of Eurasianism, a policy advocated by Russian thinkers from Prince Nikolay Trubetskoy and Lev Gumilev, to Alexander Dugin.
Anyone eager to get answers about the rise of China as a superpower and its effects on Asia can attend a lecture by renowned author Dr Martin Jacques.
The lecture, titled “China and the World in the 21st Century”, will be held at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations’ (IDFR) auditorium in Kuala Lumpur at 10am on Nov 5.
Dr Jacques, the author of the bestselling book When China Rules the World, was a journalist in Britain.
He served as the editor of London-based monthly Marxism Today and deputy editor of The Independent newspaper. He has also contributed to other newspapers as a columnist.
