Keynote: Dual circulation, decoupling and dual use: Chinese policies' impact on Europe's de- and reindustrialization

Venue: AK Bildungszentrum, Theresianumgasse 16-18, 1040 Vienna.

At some point in the early 21st century, calling China „the workbench of the world" became a standard idiom in media and talks. Three decades after the begin of China's process of opening up and reform and about a decade after China's accession to the WTO, the country's fast industrialisation process became hard to ignore. In the meantime, astonishment, excitement and respect regarding China's emergence as a global production powerhouse have made room for suspicion, irritation and concern. In European politics this is summarised in the acknowledgement of China as a „partner for cooperation and negotiation, an economic competitor and systemic rival". The reasons for this change in perception are manifold, partly they reflect policy changes on the Chinese side, partly dynamics in economic realities. In addition our perception of China and the changes thereof reflect our self-perception and anxiety in times of change.

The keynote will primarily shed light on the industrial developments in China, as they are mirrored in data, policies and discourses of China. While doing so I will also reflect on the impact of China's development, real and imagined, on business and politics in Europe and the respective discourses on de-industrialisation and re-industrialisation.

Doris Fischer has held the Chair of China Business and Economics at the University Würzburg since 2012. Since April 2021 she is also Vice President of Internationalisation and Alumni of the University of Würzburg. After studying Business Administration and Chinese Studies at the Universities of Hamburg and Wuhan, Doris Fischer completed her PhD in economics at the University of Gießen. Her numerous publications on China’s economy reflect her long-term research interests in competition, innovation and industrial policies and the incentives they create for economic actors.

 

If you wish to take part as an external participant, please contact Irena Remestwenski (irena.remestwenski(at)univie.ac.at).

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