MERICS Foresight Workshop at the closed meeting for DWARC partners and participants: Panel with DWARC work package leaders and members to discuss China’s future trajectory

These are challenging times for China’s government, as social and economic pressures continue to worsen: economic growth is sluggish, geopolitical tensions – and the United States’ tariffs – threaten China’s export-oriented economic model and its ambitious goal of modernizing its industrial base. Beijing, however, still sees some opportunities to improve its global standing and its relations with Europe and other countries. 

To discuss these issues, MERICS organized a foresight exercise in the context of the China Horizons project meeting for DWARC partners and participants in Paris. The workshop brought together 20 participants from the society and culture, party-state politics, economy, regional and global strategies, and EU-China relations work packages to discuss China’s trajectory. Held in a closed-door, off-the-record setting, the 2-hour interactive workshop encouraged informal discussions on developments in China and the trends that are expected to most profoundly shape China and its global role over the next five years. 

The workshop took place on April 11 at the Sciences Po Campus in Paris. 

This foresight workshop was for work package leaders and participants of the DWARC research consortium only. It was held in a confidential setting and was organized as part of the Horizon Europe-funded China Horizons project. The outcomes of the workshop will be additionally used to inform other MERICS projects and publications. 

Moderators: 
Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst, MERICS 
Grzegorz Stec, Head of Brussels Office, MERICS  

This MERICS China Foresight Workshop is part of the “Dealing with a Resurgent China” (DWARC) project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061700. 

Views and opinions expressed do however not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.