Notebooks from China (and much more) 2-2015 E-Book

Alberto Forchielli

• Herausgeber: KKIEN Publ. Int.
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

The great Asian country is now a major player on the global chessboard for all businesses and for all markets. The watchful eye of Forchielli and Orlandi, two of the most experienced and knowledgeable in the Asian area, and Chinese in particular, offers us points of view inusual, can help us form an idea and an opinion on what is happening in those countries. Analyses are always punctual, reflections very acute; all this with the aim of helping the reader to have multiple interpretations but leaving him free to form an opinion freely and independently. In this fourth volume, ebook become a must for those who want to understand more and more about China and Asia, addressing economic, political, and social interests.

Leseprobe

Notebooks from China

(and much more)

2 – 2015

Osservatorio Asia

KKIEN Publ. Int. is a trademark of KKIEN Enterprise srl

[email protected]

www.kkienpublishing.it

ISBN 978-88-99214-548

First digital edition: 2015

Cover: The Great Wall of China, particular

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Osservatorio Asia has traditional origins, an evolution hinging on modernity, and a fittingly undefined approach. It is a think tank born from a relationship based on collaboration between leaders in the business and academic worlds, with the objective of analyzing economic rapports between Italy and East Asia with continuity. Its only objective is to encourage business professionals and institutions to acquire a better understanding of Asian countries. OA promotes various activities (conferences, seminars, research, training courses, and publishing projects) in order to provide concrete support for internationalization and a structured understanding of globalization. OA ambitiously fosters its motto, “knowledge is a factor of success,” and operates under the guidance of a Scientific Committee.

It is, therefore, an intellectual organization hailing from a different culture than the digital age. Yet, it owes its growth to these very means of communication—digital publications, information, and networks. Osservatorio Asia is based on a software culture that allows it to reduce costs, timelines, and infrastructure. For more than 10 years, Osservatorio Asia has been thriving on sponsorships, which have been repaid with quality and visibility. The decision to publish a series of eBooks containing contributions from OA fits perfectly into our portfolio of activities.

www.osservatorioasia.com

GDP obsession strikes everybody

Alberto Forchielli, january 2015

President Xi Jin Ping warned against “an obsession with the GDP”. He believes that growing wealth—which is represented by GDP in his exquisitely economic version—needs to be balanced, qualitative, and smooth. He knows that an inflection in the annual rhythm—between 7 and 10%—favors stability, shines a light of maturity on the markets, and avoids the risk of breakaways. It’s one of the battles that he’s waging against the preceding administration’s slags. The arrests have been clamorous for corruption, but in the search for balance the criticisms appear more theoretical.

Yet, even Xi must have exalted like all the other Chinese when the International Monetary Fund published its latest bulletin. The rankings certified that the Chinese GDP had exceeded the United States’, concluding an epochal chase. The enthusiasm was justified, albeit symbolic. The overtaking was calculated with values at purchasing power parity. It’s the first chapter; the other 2 more important chapters will occur when the GDP is larger in absolute terms (within a decade) and especially when its per capita value reaches the US’ (not in the near future). Only then will China be absolutely the richest country in the world (on par with small states like Luxembourg, Qatar, and Singapore who enjoy particular situations).

In any case, the IMF’s announcement gave life to Chinese nationalist trumpets that insist on the population’s virtues that can be converted into economic successes.  Concepts of saving, frugality, sacrifice, and respecting the community are reemerging in headlines. They are the strongholds of Chinese culture, the values that characterize it.

The West is the land of technological progress, not moral or cultural. From this point of view, China’s conviction is equally entrenched as Europe’s or North America’s. Washington, London, and Berlin are the capitals of military, cultural, and industrial supremacy. When these competencies are diffused—as it happens in globalization—ancient Chinese values prevail: surpassing the GDP is only the first example. While other countries seem to languish in managing their declines—indulging in consumption and increasing public debt—China proceeds with work and savings.

These observations seem to forget that even the specialization of labor is anthropological, and that technological inventions are cultural. You can be a big spender in shopping centers and finance the best universities in the world. If you deny these truths, which frequently happens in the Chi [...]