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We've nothing to fear from a powerful China

As the dominance of the West is overtaken by a newly assertive China, will it cause geo political instability? It is all too easy to forget that the economic and military power of the West has only eclipsed that of China for a few brief centuries. For the rest of recorded history, China has held an equal or dominant position. By most accounts, the yoke of imperial China was relatively light—with ritual ‘kow-towing’ and the payment of tribute being the cost of relative autonomy. The Chinese Government is drawing on this version of history in portraying its modern aspirations in a benign light. Yet, for all its assurances, China faces resistance. Critics point to a number of worrying signs, including a substantial increase in China’s military expenditure, a new assertiveness in connection with territorial claims in the South China Sea and a staunch refusal to apply international norms for human rights in its territory. Is fear of China’s rise justifiable—or are such fears simply the product of prejudiced Western minds—conjuring phantom menaces from out of the shadows of history?

Speakers

Speakers to be announced.

Chair:

Dr Simon Longstaff has a PhD in Philosophy from Cambridge. Prior to becoming the inaugural Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre in 1991, Dr Longstaff worked in the Northern Territory in the Safety Department of BHP subsidiary, GEMCO, lectured at Cambridge University and consulted to the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts. His book Hard Cases, Tough Choices was published in 1997. Dr Longstaff was inaugural President of the Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics and is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum. He is Chairman of Woolworths Limited Corporate Responsibility Panel and AMP Capital Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee and serves as Member on a number of Board Committees.