The domination of the world by Europeans and their settler descendants is a historical anomaly. For millennia, it was the populous countries of Asia who wielded power. Today, these countries are rising once more.
Vince Cable has followed the political and economic development of China and India for decades, first as a professional economist and later as a government minister. In his book, Eclisping the West - China, India and the Forging of a New World', he offers a powerful analysis of these two ‘superstates’, which are poised to upset the balance of the existing global order. China is already vying with the US to become the world's dominant economic power, and on some measures has surpassed it. But India is close behind – by the middle of the century it may be number two.
What does this mean for the global economy and its governance? How will these two countries, which are becoming the world's largest carbon emitters, contribute to climate stabilisation? And how will they interact with each other, given a history of disputed frontiers and conflict? Using the latest data and a lifetime of economic and political wisdom, Vince Cable provides answers to these questions and more.
Join us for the opening of China Week 2025 with Keynote by Sir Vince Cable who will be discussing his new book 'Eclipsing the West' in conversation with Prof Kerry Brown, Director, Lau China Institute, King’s College London.
Registration is required. Those without tickets will not be admitted.
Entry £5 (Free for early bird guests).
About the speakers
Vince Cable is a Visiting Professor at London School of Economics and Political Science and Nottingham University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute. He was previously Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade. He served as MP for Twickenham for twenty years until retiring in 2019. His books include After the Storm(2015), Money and Power (2021) and The Chinese Conundrum (2022).
Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London. He is an Associate of the Asia Pacific Programme at Chatham House, London, an adjunct of the Australia New Zealand School of Government in Melbourne, and the co-editor of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, run from the German Institute for Global Affairs in Hamburg. He is the author of almost 20 books on modern Chinese politics, and has written for every major international news outlet, and been interviewed by every major news channel on issues relating to contemporary China.
Please contact lauchina@kcl.ac.uk if you have any questions or specific participatory requirements.
