For three decades China has grown miraculously, lifting millions out of poverty and elevating parts of the country to standards comparable with the world’s most advanced nations. However, as China’s economy slows, and as underlying structural issues continue to surface, observers both within and outside China increasingly question the so-called ‘China Model’. The 2016 Forum explored some of the initiatives China has undertaken, including the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, whilst considering contentious issues such as ‘One Country Two Systems’ in Hong Kong. One year on, the 9th annual LSESU China Development Forum 2017 will put the ‘China Model’ firmly under the spotlight at this critical point in China’s path to prosperity.

Standing at the crossroads, China now faces critical choices as economic growth decelerates after decades of unprecedented upturn and as discontents simmer. The 2017 Forum will pose questions on the fundamentals; does the ‘China Model’ exists? If it does, how well does it serve the country, and is it an effective alternative to Western political and economic systems? The Forum will also consider current supply-side reforms which are bringing major adjustments to China’s economic growth model, and examine its changing financial landscape, regulatory responses and China’s place in the global economy. At the same time, vital issues, such as the controversial Household Registration System and the fight against poverty, will be scrutinised. Looking abroad, in a post-Brexit world and with Donald Trump as the US President, the Forum will assess China’s external environment, the outlook for the situation across the Taiwan Strait, as well as China’s often disputed activities in Africa.

With a view to providing in-depth analyses and answers to the challenges facing China at the historical crossroads, the LSE Institute of Global Affairs and the LSESU China Development Society bring together more than 25 world-renowned speakers to join the debate and share their invaluable insights across a range of topics at the China Development Forum 2017. A full list of speakers can be found at China Development Forum 2017: A Nation at the Crossroads.

The LSE SU China Development Society (@LSESUCDS), the initiator of the China Development Forum, is a student organisation with the aim of promoting a global and unbiased understanding of China’s economic and social development. 

The LSE Institute of Global Affairs (IGA) (@LSEIGA) aims to maximize the impact of LSE’s knowledge base by shaping research-based and locally-rooted responses to the most pressing global challenges. It works with emerging and developing countries, but also engages advanced economies, in shaping innovative, research-based and locally-rooted policy solutions to the global challenges.