Topics
The “Hamburg Summit's” programme consists of expert panels and keynote speeches. The conference design invites the active participation of the audience in open discussions and fosters a vivid exchange among all participants.
Shaping The Post-Crisis World: China And The Eu In Search Of Sustainable Growth
The worst economic crisis since the 1930s has shaken the world economy. National economies were, on different levels, all hit by the recession. Due to spectacular stimulus packages, most economies are out of intensive care, but still need a long-term rehab. Now it is time to shape the post-crisis world: When is the right moment to put an end to government financed support for industries and consumers? How can new asset bubbles and inflation be avoided? This panel will discuss the results of the stimulus packages, the different exit strategies of China and the EU countries and the lessons learned from the crisis. Additionally, it will discuss whether and to what extent the crisis has contributed to an economic power shift from Western countries to China.
Power Talk: China, Europe And The Us: Common Challenges And Joint Solutions To The Global Economic Crisis
China’s economic rise is creating a shift in the balance of global economic powers. Besides the USA and Europe as the traditional leaders in the world economy, China has increasingly influenced global policies and cooperated in tackling common challenges. The global financial crisis as well as the European currency crisis offer opportunities to share global responsibilities. This panel will discuss the initiatives and approaches to rebalance the world economy and stimulate growth. It will further discuss the economic interdependence of China, Europe and the USA as well as options for further cooperation.
China And The Eu In The Global Trading System: Trends And Strategies
The global financial crisis demonstrated that outward oriented economies are not able to decouple from the economic performance of other large countries. The strong dependence on foreign trade led to a vulnerability to external shocks. Given the fragility of world trade, the development of sustainable growth depends on a healthy global trading system with strong enforcement of existing governance mechanisms. Certain issues of trade policy such as protectionism, non-tariff barriers, enforcement of intellectual property rights, and even the choice of currency exchange rate regimes need to be addressed on a global level. On the national level, the crisis might be an occasion to restructure export industries and diversify markets. This panel will discuss the described trends as well as China’s and the EU’s strategies facing them.
China’s Domestic Market And Its Relevance For The World Economy
Exports to the US and the EU played an important role in China’s transformation into an economic giant. However, high dependency on exports creates vulnerability. China’s re-orientation towards a domestic-demand-led growth strategy contributes to a more sustainable growth and could help the world economy to recover. Currently, private consumption in China accounts for only 35 percent of GDP, compared with more than 70 percent in the US. It can be expected that consumption in China will increase due to the emerging new urban middle class and its spending potential. While the country becomes increasingly attractive as a market for EU goods and services, foreign companies still face many market entry challenges such as insufficient enforcement of intellectual property rights and international standards and subsidised Chinese competition. This panel will discuss the development of the Chinese domestic market and how European companies can overcome existing barriers.
Urbanisation: Challenges And Strategies For Smart Growth In Cities
The traditional distribution of China’s population has undergone complex and profound changes. After centuries of mostly rural shaped settlements, China nowadays has far more cities with a population of over one million inhabitants than Europe, and this trend continues. It is estimated that Chinese urban infrastructure will have to absorb an additional 300 to 500 million residents throughout the next 20 years. This massive rural-urban migration needs intelligent management tools in order to minimize the impact on the local and global environment and resources. Otherwise, air and water quality will continue to deteriorate, and greenhouse gas emissions increase. This panel will discuss the challenges and strategies for smart growth in cities, looking at crucial issues such as green building, water and waste management as well as intra-urban transport, taking the European experience in urban development into account.
China’s Service Sector – The New Engine For Growth?
Since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, the country’s economic structure has undergone profound changes: From an entirely agricultural based economy it has transformed into an industrialised country, the ‘factory of the world’. China’s transition from a non-market economy to a market-driven one is strongly reflected in the development of its service sector, which has been state-run for more than 50 years. The size of the service sector is, however, still much smaller compared to the service sector in the USA, EU and even India but is about to grow rapidly. A further liberalisation of this sector would contribute to more education and employment and widen the quality of services. This panel will discuss new developments in the liberalisation of the service sectors and opportunities for European service providers.
Economic Challenges Of Ageing Societies
Not only Western Europe but also China is facing rapid demographic changes. Ageing societies and changing family and household patterns offer both opportunities and challenges to social security systems and industries. Healthcare and pension systems have to be adjusted to new requirements of a growing share of the elderly within the population. Companies need to get prepared for tackling the new demand of the ‘silver market’ – a market segment of people aged 55 years and older. New products and services for elder people range from consumer electronics to health care-related products, including high tech and easy to use products. This panel will discuss the economic impact of an ageing society and the strategies of Chinese and European companies to turn the silver challenge into golden opportunities.
Green For Growth: Seeking Balance Between Economy And Environment
Once seen as coercive and hindering, comprehensive environmental legislation and enforcement pushed Europe, especially Germany, to become world market leaders in green technologies. Due to climate change and limited fossil energy resources, economies are not only requested to adjust their energy mix by including more renewables but have to change their entire industrial production to eco-friendly technologies. Innovative development of industries would help the environment, generate green collar jobs and finally lead to a green value added. This panel will discuss how China can achieve this transformation and how European companies can participate.
