Open questions | Economist Jin Keyu on why the trade war is still a ‘gift for China’

Jin Keyu is a Harvard-trained economist currently serving as an associate professor at the London School of Economics. In The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism, Jin argues China’s system remains well-positioned to resolve the problems weighing down its economy, and that calls for the country to adopt a model more attuned to the West miss several qualities that have been essential to its success.

I think the West misunderstands Chinese aspirations, the Chinese developmental model and the Chinese people. I think there’s an under-emphasis on cultural differences and, to a certain extent, differences in people’s preferences and values. If we only take one lens to look at the entire world, then - more often than not - we will get it wrong.

I think part of my job, or the job of many others with similar multicultural backgrounds, is to reduce these misgivings by showing the other side of China from the inside, a way of life that may not be apparent from the headlines of Western media.

It’s a matter of how to communicate. It’s a matter of showing up more and being there to engage with the world, and to give room to a newer generation of voices which understand both the Eastern and Western mentalities.

There are many in my generation and the newer generation who have the ability to bridge this gap, and in our small ways we should all contribute, because I think misunderstandings are causing more serious dangers.