Understanding New China, Arising from Darkness

About the Presentation

China is still largely “Terra incognita”. It fairly thwarted all the previous pessimistic forecasts, successfully faced and overcame obstacles to its recovery. However, analysts and observers continue focusing and paying interest mostly, if not uniquely, to the wealthy ’shop windows’ of the eastern coastal China.

Since 2008 and until today Jean-Marie Rousseau conducted exploratory missions, all along the Yangzi River, in order to identify new poles of growth whereby social and cultural assets proved essential for further knowledge flowering of contemporary Chinese cities. He is proposing a threefold conference: firstly his explorations in differentiated Chinese areas of growth; then analysing how China promotes sustainable territories by drawing from its internal resources, in addition to ’bench learning’ exercises, and, finally, wondering at who’s expenses China is revenging.

About the Speaker

Jean-Marie Rousseau has worked for the 40 years in regional economic development, specialising in R&D and technological innovation, as well as in human and social capital within the knowledge economy. For six years he has been working as a national expert in DG Regional Policy and then as an Administrator in DG Research of the European Commission where he has been responsible for initiatives such as the ’Regional Programme of Innovative Actions’ and the ’Regions of Knowledge’ Programme, focusing on the regional dimension of research and innovation. He has also been a major contributor to EC reports such as ’Constructing the Regional Advantage’. In addition, he has a wide-ranging experience of working with the SME sector in industrial development and the knowledge economy. He is currently an international expert in Innovation and Territorial Intelligence, running for four years as an independent consultant within Europe and all over the world including Mediterranean countries, Brazil and mainly China. A French national living in Brussels, he reads, speaks and writes Chinese, besides other European languages.

Location

The Aurelio Peccei Lecture-Event will take place at
Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium
(Conference room to be confirmed. Will be indicated on the premises)

Address:

Hertogstraat 1 Rue Ducale
Brussels
BELGIUM
ZIP Code: 1000

Follow-Up

The slides of the presentation are available for download.