La Cina al centro

Discussion based on the book 'La Cina al centro' by Maurizio Scarpari

China versus the West, autocracies versus democracies? What are the historical and cultural roots of China’s model, described by Xi Jinping as superior to that of liberal democracies? Impossible to answer these questions without considering China’s imperial history, Maurizio Scarpari explains. Xi's project is to put China at the centre of the world stage, as it was in the Chinese conception before the arrival of the Western powers. The clash is not only economic and political, but also cultural: what is call into question are the liberal principles at the foundation of Western democracies, which in turn are facing a severe identity crisis nowadays. By opposing a new international order, Xi's China now resembles Putin's Russia. Are we on the edge of a historical turning point? Will the world manage to avoid a new world conflict?

Programme

Welcome and chiar
Beatrice Gallelli, Researcher, IAI & Università Ca’ Foscari, Venezia

Speakers
Maurizio Scarpari, Author, Former Professor, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia

Aurelio Insisa, Senior Fellow, IAI & European University Institute

Angelo Panebianco, Emeritus Professor, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna