Pascal Coppens is a Belgian who lectures and conducts workshops to share his expertise about innovation in China. He has lived and worked in China and Silicon Valley for over 20 years and he has a unique perspective of explaining the conflicts between China and the west from a cultural perspective. To me, Coppens ranks right up there with Professor Jeffrey Sachs in their ability to explain the geopolitics of our world. Recently, his repertoire has expanded to cover the ascendancy of India and a comparison of the two future Asian giants.
Why China will be back! Five reasons to keep China on your radar! In this episode, Coppens debunks the west misconceptions of China and the (perceived) factors that could lead to China’s impending downfall. Some examples are: China’s authoritarianism as exhibited by Xi’s unprecedented third term; the zero covid policy leading to the frequent lock-downs; the real estate bubble and the resultant crisis; the economy chaos caused by the common prosperity initiatives etc. The west perceives China as inflexible and authoritative whereas in actuality, China is constantly changing and adapting to the challenges as they arise.
After China, India will shake the world. In this episode, Pascal talked about the potential of India to rise as another economical super power. The cultures of India and China are different and their paths to prosperity are on different tracks. According to Pascal although India is a “democracy”, it has a culture of its own. It is interesting to hear Pascal’s comparison of India vs China on their way to ascendancy. In Pascal’s words, China is the land of HOPE and India is the land of DREAMS!