Understanding China Conference 2020 took place in Guangzhou, China Dr. Güven Sak participated at a panel discussion on regionalization and globalization at the Understanding China Conference 2020.

Guangzhou/Virtual- Between November 20^th and 22^nd, 2020, the partially virtual Understanding China Conference took place in Guangzhou, China. The partners for the annual conference were the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy, Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, People’s Government of Guangdong Province, and the 21^st Century Council of Berggruen Institute. The main organizer for the event was the People’s Government of Guangzhou with the CGTN Think Tank acting as a co-organizer. As partially denoted in the title, the Understanding China Conference brings together experts and stakeholders to various panel discussions that help further comprehend China with the inclusion of broader topics as well. This year’s sub-heading for the conference was China’s March Toward Modernization and Community of a Shared Future for Humanity.

Due to COVID-19 preventing participants from long distance travelling, TEPAV’s Managing Director, Dr. Guven Sak, chimed in virtually on Saturday, November 21^st, 2020, to the panel discussion on Economic Globalization and Regionalization.

Dr. Guven Sak stated that there is a positive development in terms of globalization, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The agreement was agreed upon by 15 countries, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus five other nations. China, Japan, and South Korea have for the first time in history, entered a free-trade zone of sorts. RCEP is a step in the right direction for regional integration in the Pacific because globalization works through regional integration.

He further highlighted that China’s President Xi has another plan which aims at integrating the entirety of Asia, called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Turkey is closely following the develops of the initiative with great interest because Asia needs more ports, airports, railroads, and roads to ensure regional integration. Especially when considering that goods going to, for example, Pakistan have to pass container ports in the West before going East instead of just going East in the first place. There are more factories in the south, therefore the trade links need to be reestablished in tandem with the appropriate infrastructure.

You may read Güven Sak's speech from here.

You may watch video from here.