‘Sieren looks into the future without being misled by visions and ideologies.’
- Helmut Schmidt
"Sieren is someone who proceeds after me in explaining the world with composure. "
- Peter Scholl-Latour
Frank Sieren is one of Germany’s leading China experts. The journalist, book author and documentary filmmaker has been living in Beijing since 1994- longer than any other western economic correspondent. He has seen the rise of the new superpower right in front of his very own eyes. For a long time Sieren wrote for the Wirtschafts Woche and the Zeit, and nowadays he is the Handelsblatt’s China specialist. Sieren has already published several China bestsellers. With his profound knowledge from first-hand experience Frank Sieren has in the meantime become a very sought after speaker at events and congresses.
Frank Sieren is one of a small band of western journalists who know China to the core, has lived there for almost a quarter of a century. He has followed the dynamic rise of the country on the ground. Sieren can – as only a few – explain the unbelievable development of the gigantic empire: China is no longer only the factory of the world, which has inundated us with cheap consumer goods and taken our rubbish off our hands. In the meantime it has become the vigorous economic power which can co-determine the rules of the game throughout the world and overtrump Germany’s future technologies and even Silicon Valley. China dominates in Africa and is building the biggest infrastructure project in the world’s history: the new Silk Road.
Nowadays the new superpower already contributes to way over 30 percent of the growth of the global economy. The USA can no longer even manage half of that. And coming in last is Europe only making it to about seven percent. Are now also the times in which we in the west were able to set the standards of global values gone forever?
Sieren’s examination of the economy and politics helps us not only to understand how China ticks, but also how we need to newly deploy ourselves in Germany so that we will not be marginalized.
Sieren delivers lectures on for example the following topics:
The future? China!
The new China: the most important partner and toughest competitor. What makes the new superpower so successful? To what extent is Europe, yes even Germany not going to be able to keep up with the pace economically as well as politically? The middle kingdom is ambitious, quick, innovative, well organized and is no longer going to be told what to do by the west. It is the first time in centuries that now an Asian country is a world power. In the meantime it is even questioning our values, which we believe to be universal. On every continent the Chinese are investing in natural resources, infrastructure and key industries. They are also buying into Germany. How is China challenging us directly? What does the new super power mean for us? China is for us both an opportunity and also a danger. We underestimate China’s power. Already nowadays China has more influence on our lives than Google, Facebook & co. Frank Sieren’s account of how China is changing Germany is provocative, vivid and personal.
EU- China- Russia
Beijing is winning over an increasing number of unsatisfied EU countries onto its side and is thereby undermining Europe. Already nowadays Brussels is no longer able to face China and speak with one voice. And whilst we are not really able to weaken the Russians with increasingly harsh sanctions, we are at the same time driving them further into the awaiting arms of the Chinese. In Beijing one is amused about the high level of European shortsightedness.
China’s Innovations
China is becoming more innovative at an alarming rate. The main focus here is on artificial intelligence. The fourth industrial revolution, in which the Chinese are preparing themselves to outdistance the west, will dramatically transform the world. And those who are out in front will also be able to decisively co-determine the new technological world order. This is also the case in Germany.
China’s Automobile Industry
In the development of electric cars it is the first time that the Chinese are taking the lead in the key technology of the Germans. This new technological world order has dramatic consequences for us, the land of the automobile groups, and the German ‘hidden champions’. Now the German car industry is facing the biggest challenge it has had to in the history of the Federal Republic. Because this is what China wants, nothing in Germany will remain the same as it once was.
The New Power of Xi Jinping
China’s President Xi Jinping is as the key figure simultaneously opening up China’s economy and intimidating civil society: he is fighting corruption with full force, further expanding his plentitude of power, driving on environmental protection and is perfecting the surveillance of the masses. Whether we like it or not: Xi is not only shaping the future of China. Whilst we analyze and criticize him, he is also changing Germany.
From Imitators to Inventors
China is transforming itself from the world’s workbench to the inventor’s workshop. The days of imitation are fading away, and there are enormous advances being made with creativity and innovation, as well as with research and development. As a result the Chinese are striking at the core of the German economic miracle. China is again on the way to becoming the global power in the field of innovation, as it once was centuries ago. A powerful new competitor is making life difficult for the German middle class.
The New Silk Road
Through this project Beijing wants to close ranks with Europe, the rest of Asia and with Africa as well as of course systematically tap into new growth markets – at the expense of the USA. It is with the overall investment of one trillion Euros, the greatest infrastructure project throughout the world since the building of the great wall. However Brussels is hesitatingly taking the outstretched hand.
China’s Provocations in Asia
China is closely entangled with issues that present the biggest geo-political threats in Asia: The North Korean conflict and China’s provocations in the South China Sea.
North Korea is even more than Syria and the Ukraine one of the biggest trouble spots in the world, even if the situation over there will maybe surprisingly still ease off. There nothing is possible without China. This is also the case with the disputed islands in the South China Sea. There is nowhere that Beijing is showing its new power more blatantly than in this region. Although China’s neighbours are being put under pressure, they do not ask us for help, but instead have their own notions of how they can exist in the shadow of China.
The Power Struggle: China-USA
China as the rising global power is able to more competently pit against the still incumbent world power USA. It is the great geo-strategic power struggle at the beginning of the twenty-first century. If it used to be wars that were waged in order to decide on the contest, the conflicts are nowadays fought out in the economic sector. With trade wars and patent disputes, company take-overs, competitive currencies, and the fights of bidders for mineral resources. It is surprising that the Chinese have for a long time had a clever plan and can take things in their stride, whilst the west operates in a hectic and haphazard manner.
China-Africa
It is about nothing less than the last big growth market of the world.
Africa, whose economic boom is being significantly fueled by China. Whist we are still thinking about building wells and involved in the scattergun distribution of development aid, China sees a continent that is taking a leap forward into the 21st century. One thing is clear already: for Europe things are going to get tight without Africa.
For further enquiries regarding lectures please contact:
Susanne Westermeier
Email: Susanne.westermeier@sieren.net