Since President Xi Jinping’s 2012 inauguration, China has seen tremendous changes in nearly every aspect of its social, political and economic life. The current leadership’s bold moves are almost unprecedented in post-reform Chinese history. Yet old problems persist, new challenges arise. The 2015 LSESU China Development Forum discussed the government’s anti-corruption drive, Shanghai economic free trade zone, export of soft power through overseas cultural-linguistic missions, and policy towards neighbouring countries. In 2016 the Forum examines the government’s shifting policy focus, its commitment to ‘deepening reforms’, and China’s vision for its own future.

Navigating through enormous complexity, China must tread carefully to arrest its seemingly downward development trajectory, seen patently in the pollution debate, stock market crash, ethnic-based social unrest, ‘umbrella movement’ in Hong Kong, and reports of factory labour shortages due to birth control - issues often ‘brushed under the carpet’ previously. Surely, as long as the economy is booming, all is well. Yet the economy is slowing down, old woes cannot be ignored. In this light the 2016 Forum will consider China’s environmental sustainability; economy; ethnic policy/conflict; abolishment of the One Child Policy; and the question of Deng’s ‘One Country Two System’ in Hong Kong. Looking ahead, the 2016 Forum will scrutinise China’s outward, future-thinking initiatives; imagine China’s foreign policy outlook as a rising superpower, assess the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s impact, and the grand ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy to expand China’s reach.

Seeking to provide answers to these complex problems, and attempting to project the long-term policy directions, the 2016 Forum, ‘Navigating Complexity’, will host more than 20 world-class speakers who will bring their unique perspectives and valuable insights to 9 topics. The Forum takes place on 30th January 2016 at the New Academic Building, LSE.