The world’s factory

Forty years on from Mao’s death, China is leading globalisation without forfeiting its cultural identity or national sovereignty.

To properly outline China’s role within globalisation, one must examine the complexity of the issue. The traditional analytical categories hinge on ideological affinities and political alliances, but other super-structural factors must now also be considered, such as shifting national borders, the climate, natural resources and the advent of the internet. Assessments of major economic transitions are too limited to define the scope and content of the new international context. But in the intricate, reciprocal relationships among many variables, two questions appear to be crucial and difficult to reconcile: is China at the forefront of globalisation? And is China a globalised country?

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