Semafor and CCG Launch ‘China and Global Business’ Platform
February 28 , 2023
THE NEWS
As geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, the space for conversation and cooperation on global issues is narrowing. Semafor’s ambitious new initiative “China and Global Business” will create a new platform — events in Beijing and New York, and coverage across our digital channels — for global business leaders seeking a way forward amid growing calls in the U.S. for economic “decoupling” from China, and China’s parallel pursuit of economic “self-reliance.”
On the agenda: how can the world’s two largest economies rebuild trust? How do companies and CEOs from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, caught in the middle of this Great Power rivalry, navigate this complex world order? And as trans-Pacific business ties fray, where are the new corridors of growth and opportunity? And in a world of, at best, intense and sometimes bitter competition, where are the opportunities for cooperation on issues like climate change?
BEN’S VIEW
The contradiction at the heart of the U.S.-China relationship is one of the biggest stories in the world. Geopolitical forces are pulling the two countries apart. But their bilateral trade is just now hitting new record highs. The coming years will determine whether the world’s two largest economies, which are deeply enmeshed, can find ways to manage their differences; or whether the economy is simply another front for an escalating conflict.
National politics in many western countries is entering a cycle of politicians competing to be the most hawkish voice. But the role of journalism is to explore the complex reality of a situation without clear historical precedent. This moment has little in common with Cold War analogies — except, perhaps, for how high the stakes are. That’s why these gatherings and the journalism that emerges from them are so important. We’re offering our global news platform for an open discussion — as we have with the Semafor World Economy Summit and Semafor Africa Week — based on our values of transparency, journalistic independence, and openness to multiple perspectives.
※NOTABLE
The inaugural “China & Global Business” flagship event will take place in Beijing on October, 2023, preceded by an initial convening this June 2023 in NYC.
“China & Global Business” will embrace a diversity of opinion throughout its year-long program and will be guided by a Chinese and global advisory board composed of key actors from the worlds of business, diplomacy, academia, and the media who will work together to identify areas of common interest to guide our main stage deliberations and ongoing discourse.
They include:
Jessica Chen Weiss, Professor of Government, Cornell University
Deborah Lehr, CEO of Edelman Global Advisory
Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, Oxford University
David Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group
Justin B. Smith, Co-Founder and CEO, Semafor
John Thornton, Executive Chairman of Barrick Gold and Chairman of PineBridge Investments
Susan Thornton, Senior Fellow and Visiting Lecturer of Law at the Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center
Jerry Yang, co-founder, Yahoo! Inc and Founding Partner at AME Cloud Ventures
Gao Yunlong, Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce
Zhou Xiaochuan, Vice Chairman of and China’s Chief Representative to the Boao Forum for Asia
Chen Deming, Former Minister of Commerce
Wu Hailong, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association
Cui Tiankai, Former Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. and to Japan
Xue Lan, Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University
Wang Huiyao, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG)
Cao Dewang, Chairman of Fuyao Group
Zhang Yichen, Chairman and CEO of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited
Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited
Mission & Overview
As geopolitical tensions between the US and China escalate, the space for conversation and cooperation on global issues is narrowing. Semafor’s ambitious new initiative “China and Global Business” will create a new platform — events in Beijing and New York, and coverage across our digital channels — for global business leaders seeking a way forward amid growing calls in the US for economic “decoupling” from China, and China’s parallel pursuit of economic “self-reliance.”
“China and Global Business” is an independent news initiative that will offer unparalleled insights into some of the most important global issues today. On the agenda: how can the world’s two largest economies rebuild trust? How do companies and CEOs from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, caught in the middle of this Great Power rivalry, navigate this complex world order? And as trans-Pacific business ties fray, where are the new corridors of growth and opportunity? And in a world of, at best, intense and sometimes bitter competition, where are the opportunities for cooperation on issues like climate change?
Throughout the year, Semafor will be building a unique, journalistic institution that provides prominent figures across a range of industries and sectors with the ability to engage in open dialogue to find real solutions to deep-seated challenges on a neutral platform. The initiative will be powered by Semafor’s newsroom and we retain full and independent editorial and commercial control.
The inaugural “China and Global Business” will take place in Beijing on October 17-19 preceded by an initial convening this June in NYC.
In Partnership With
Semafor’s “China and Global Business” has been developed in partnership with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG).
Global Advisory Board
Chinese Advisory Board
Timeline
From Semafor， 2023-3-1
