Agenda

Lecture 1
September 10, 2025, 1:30 PM
Sala Conferenze Dipartimentale, San Sebastiano
Prof. Xiaobo Lü
Decoding the “China Shock”: State Capitalism and Economic Development in China
Introduction by: Prof. Laura De Giorgi

Lecture 2
September 15, 2025, 2:00 PM
Sala Conferenze Dipartimentale, San Sebastiano
Prof. Xiaobo Lü
Decoding the “China Shock”: Chinese-style Federalism and Its Consequences
Introduction by: Prof. Laura De Giorgi

Europe has been experiencing another “China Shock”- rapidly rising Chinese exports of high-value-added and quality industries, directly competing with EU’s industries amidst geopolitical tensions. Why did it happen? What has led China’s new export wave with innovative tech and green quality which is different from the earlier wave in the early 2000s? The lecture will explain it by examining two crucial aspects if Chinese political economy: state capitalism and Chinese-style federalism. Indeed, these two systems are most important components of what define the path of economic development in China in the past four decades. Those who are interested in contemporary China and EU-China relations should study and understand these systems.

Xiaobo Lü 吕晓波
Xiaobo Lü is Anne Whitney Olin Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. He is the founding director of Columbia Global Centers in Beijing. He is a former director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. He is Faculty Director of MA in Regional Studies-East Asia (MARSEA) at Columbia University. Professor Lü teaches courses on Chinese politics, political economy, comparative political corruption, and politics of economic development. His research interests include Chinese politics, comparative political economy, politics of economic development, corruption and good governance, regulatory reforms, and government-business relations. He has published widely on these subjects and consults for business firms, civic groups, and government agencies. He has been Visiting Professor at Bacconi University in Milan Italy; Tsinghua University, Jiaotong University, and Tongji University in China; City University of Hong Kong; Hertie School of Governance in Berlin; Institute of Political Science (Sciences-Po Paris), Sciences-Po (Grenoble), and Paris University I-Sorbonne in Paris. Professor Lü serves on the editorial boards of several international scholarly journals.
He is a member of Council on Foreign Relations and the National Committee of US-China Relations. For many years, he was a member of the Committee of 100, a prominent Chinese-American organization. He has appeared on PBS, CNN, BBC, and NPR on issues related to Chinese politics, macroeconomics, social change, and governance. He also gives public speeches on broader topics such as the rise of global populism, corruption, social media and their political and social impact, and politics of economic development. He has delivered speeches and briefings to organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations, European Commission, the Asia Foundation, the Asia Society, World Affairs Council, National Committee for US-China Relations, American Center for International Leadership, Asia Society, the China Institute of America, and the Japan Society. Xiaobo Lü received his PhD degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.