China and the West

HOW AND WHY WE NEED TO LEARN
TO TRUST CHINA

China has dominated the world’s financial news recently, as economists and journalists struggle to figure out how China’s market affects the global economy. With the fastest growing economy and the largest population in the world, China is a key player on the global stage, despite its recent economic slowdown. Relations between China and the Westare therefore crucial to the future but can we overcome our cultural and political differences to develop a relationship of trust?

Here Fokke Obbema examines this relationship by travelling throughout Europe and Asia, speaking to people in finance, politics, economics and education, and shedding light not only on how we see China but also how China sees the West. Through an examination of history, the media, global intentions as well as politics he shows how mutual relations are affected by feelings of superiority on both sides. Above all he shows how a fear of China has permeated the discourse, fuelled by the media, and how instead we need to take a more balanced view. Only through continued interactions on a micro-level and a deeper understanding of China, can the groundwork for trust be laid, increasing the chances of a prosperous financial relationship and a stable economic future.