The world is increasingly looking to China for help with the economy.
Europeans need support for their bailout fund, developing countries want
further investment to develop their infrastructure, and the United States
wants a free-floating currency to end what it says is a generation of unfair
competition with US workers. But what are China’s priorities? In this two-part
BBC series, China’s most prominent business journalist, Rui Chenggang, argues
that for China to help the world, China must help itself. China’s government
says its top priorities are reducing inflation and increasing domestic
consumption. But what about Chinese business? It can be difficult to separate
China’s political and business interests. How do these blurred lines help or
hinder the government’s stated aim? And what do the Chinese people themselves
want? Is the amazing economic growth of the last 30 years really providing
social stability? Rui Chenggang is an influential TV presenter, blogger and
author. In this first collaboration with a western broadcaster, he opens his
contact book to introduce listeners to some of the most important names in the
Chinese economic debate. (Image: Chinese banknotes and Shanghai skyscrapers.
Credit: Reuters)
China’s Economy - The Insider’s View Episode 2
In the second of two special documentaries, a leading Chinese business
journalist Rui Chenggang continues his exploration of the big narratives
affecting his country’s economy. The Chinese market is still dominated by
large state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Is it time for the country to turn
towards a more Western style of capitalism, or will China continue to follow
its own economic model? Rui Chenggang speaks to experts and business leaders,
including Captain Wei Jiafu, Chairman of China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO).
He also reflects on the nature of economic reform, both inside China and
across the world. He finds inspiration in the words of a popular Chinese song:
it’s “not that easy”. Rui Chenggang is an influential TV presenter, blogger
and author. In this first collaboration with a western broadcaster, he opens
his contact book to introduce listeners to some of the most important names in
the Chinese economic debate. (Image: COSCO President Wei Jiafu speaks in front
of the Chinese freighter Zhen He in 2002. Credit: Getty Images)
