No doubt the shift in geopolitical balance in favor of the East -and especially China- will be a major trend in the coming years. But what exactly does this mean? Will we be 'invaded' by Chinese people? Will they impose a Chinese way of living on the West? Might sound ridiculous, but even people in my immediate environment express this type of fear.
This fear probably comes from the fact that basically we know very little from China, its culture and its mentality. At the London TED conference last year, economist Martin Jacques sheds his light on what makes China, and the Chinese, so different. According to him, it has to do with the unique way with which they look at their 'nation' (a notion which has a completely different meaning to them).
This is a truly enlightening presentation. My key takeaway is that the biggest risk we are facing, especially in Europe, is the fear itself, and the ignorance that causes it...
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