History offers lessons on ways to win friends

Three years ago, at the invitation of Indonesia's consul general to Guangzhou, I gave a talk on "China's Economy in 2050" at the Ritz-Carlton Guangzhou, which was attended among others by 44 consuls general. I framed the talk drawing from three major trends of China over the past three decades, and focused on three areas－growing regional and international trade; emphasis on education, including the revival of classics; and the proliferation of communications technology exemplified by enterprises such as Alibaba and Tencent.

Trade, classics and the press (Gutenberg), the parallels between today's China and 15th century Europe are too prominent to miss. As China is experiencing its own renaissance, I was optimistic about China's economy in 2050.

What I did not expect was the dynamic interactions following the speech. Some questioned the possibility of China undergoing "reformation" following a Chinese "renaissance", while others were convinced that China's economic rise has benefited the region.