In November 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders announced a bold and comprehensive program of economic modernization, backed up by political reforms. The degree of boldness indicates that after 35 years of world-beating economic performance, China’s development model is obsolete and in need of urgent, not gradual, replacement. To justify the risks, President Xi quoted an impassioned plea for policy modernization by his predecessor Deng Xiaoping: the only way to avoid a dead end — a blind alley — is to deepen reform and opening both at home and with the world.

Despite this clarion call, observers in China and abroad have found several reasons to wonder what shape the reforms will take and whether the reform program will set China’s economy on a new path to sustained growth and bolster its trade and investment relationships, which have great importance for the global economy and for governments and businesses around the world. With its report Avoiding the Blind Alley: China’s Economic Overhaul and Its Global Implications, the Asia Society Policy Institute offers new insights on the changing profile and prospects of what will soon be the world’s largest economy. The report, produced in collaboration with the Rhodium Group and written by Daniel H. Rosen, clarifies the ambitions of China’s economic reform program, assesses the progress China has made in implementing reforms, and forecasts the impacts the program will have on China’s economy and the world economy.

The Sydney launch event will include a presentation on the report’s findings by Daniel H. Rosen, Fall 2014 Wadsworth Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and co-founder and China Practice Leader at Rhodium Group, followed by a panel discussion on the implications of China’s economic reform program for the country, the Asia-Pacific region, and United States.

The panel participants will include:

• Daniel H. Rosen, Wadsworth Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and cofounder and China Practice Leader at Rhodium Group
• Professor Kerry Brown, Executive Director, China Studies Centre, The University of Sydney
• Doug Ferguson, Partner in Charge, Asia Business Group, KPMG
• Andrew Low, Chief Executive Officer, Redbridge Grant Samuel
• Dr Geoff Raby, Co-Chair, China Practice Group, Corrs Chambers Westgarth & Vice Chairman, Macquarie Group China

In collaboration with KPMG and China Studies Centre, the University of Sydney.

This is a free event. However, registration is essential, as capacity is limited.

To RSVP please reply to Asia Society Australia by email: [email protected] or phone: (02) 8199 9402

Additional content related to the report as well as announcements of other events taking place at Asia Society’s Centers around the world: http://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/china-economy

Professor Kerry Brown's Blog post on the report and Dan Rosen's work: http://www.chinastudiescentre.com.au/politics/dan-rosens-china-study-hits-the-mark/  [30 October, 2014]

Also see our Breakfast Briefing with Daniel Rosen: Implementing China's Third Plenum Reforms - Will Xi Succeed?