China: Why the West Doesn’t Understand [video]

Each morning I try and blot out the involuntary sauna of the Central Line by feeding my addiction to TED lectures. I love the brilliant speakers and the massive variation in topics. Keeps the old noggin’ ticking over.

Amongst the recent videos I watched is a talk from the TED Salon in London by economist Martin Jacques. He covers one of my pet topics: China. Ever since I’ve been involved in running the Digital Missions at Chinwag, we’ve been looking at the best way for UK firms to build relationships and business in China.

Examples are very thin on the ground – seriously, I’m still looking for any IP-based business that’s actually propsering in China – but there’s no doubt that China will become the new economic super-power. To prosper, any country’s exporters is going to have to wrap their head around doing business with China.

This video gives some insight into why a complete shift of mindsight is needed, and more importantly, why Westerners need to stop interpreting developments in China with Western analogies. 

From the synopsis:

Speaking at a TED Salon in London, economist Martin Jacques asks: How do we in the West make sense of China and its phenomenal rise? The author of “When China Rules the World,” he examines why the West often puzzles over the growing power of the Chinese economy, and offers three building blocks for understanding what China is and will become.

Photo (cc) Sam Michel.