Theo Sommer

In just a few decades China has transformed itself from a poorhouse in Mao look to a high-tech nation. Multi-lane highways and high-speed trains connect the centers. It is often said that the technology is only imported, even stolen, and that the social and ecological problems are overpowering. But this is a dangerous deception, as Theo Sommer impressively demonstrates. Anyone who has read his lucid book will see China and the West with different eyes.

Theo Sommer, one of the most thorough China experts of our time, has dedicated his latest book to his own grandchildren – expressly in preparation for the coming Chinese century. The evidence for this prognosis, as presented by Sommer in his latest book, is overwhelming. It is to be presented and explained in conversation with Manfred Osten, who has seven years of experience in East Asia, as a preliminary answer to Napoleon’s claim: “When China awakens, the world will tremble”.

Moderation: Manfred Osten