G5: Exposing the Invisible China

In forty short years, the People's Republic of China has emerged from the depths of despair, comparable to the most backward, poverty-stricken country in Africa. Now, China is recognized as a global military and economic powerhouse, primed to knock the United States off of its perch. However, China is convinced that the West exploited China when it was at its weakest. Most notably those years of the 19th and early 20th centuries, known to the Chinese as the Century of Humiliation, where China lost both its territory and its prestige to the imperial powers of the day. These experiences have left China deeply suspicious and resentful of the countries it considers the West, including Australia and even Japan. In what ways are the West countries responsible for the Century of Humiliation and what mistakes did China make to precipitate it? In the immediate aftermath, Mao's 27-year tenure as Chairman include his ghastly and misguided programs (Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution) which resulted in at least 40 million deaths of his own people by famine, torture, execution, and genocide.  The rapid economic and military ascent of China has been one of the major geopolitical developments over the past four decades. Are the GDP and debt figures being reported accurate? China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever conceived to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure. However, skeptics worry that China is laying a debt trap for vulnerable, third-world governments. Many of these projects become white elephants and fail to live up to expectations. How will the BRI play out and will any or all of the debt obligation from partner countries be paid off? What were China's greatest mistakes in handling the Covid pandemic and the Fentanyl crises?

Purpose: Learn why China's 11 self-inflicted wounds – not the West – will block China's bid for global dominance

Facilitator: Mike Quinlan