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China Week

China Week is our annual flagship, week-long series of events designed to help contribute to an informed understanding of China's growing global influence through research and public engagement. 

Hosted by the Lau China Institute, each year China Week brings together experts from across academia, industry and government to explore the key themes in China's modern development through interactive discussions and debates.

China Week 2026 | 19-23 October 2026

China and the New Multilateralism?

China’s growing influence across the Global South and its expanding role within BRICS are reshaping the landscape of global politics. This year’s China Week brings together leading experts to explore what this means for the future of multilateralism — and whether we are witnessing the emergence of a new global order. Through a programme of talks, discussions and films, we will examine China’s relationships with the Global South and the changing dynamics of global cooperation.

Keynote speakers

We are delighted to welcome Lord Jim O’Neill and Isabel Hilton as keynote speakers for China Week 2026.

Lord Jim O’Neill is an economist, best known for coining the term BRIC. His keynote will offer a timely perspective on the G20, what the future of global cooperation might look like, and why China's current economic trajectory may require a substantial rethink.

Isabel Hilton is a London based writer and broadcaster, the founder of China Dialogue (now Dialogue Earth), and a leading commentator on China and international affairs. Her keynote will explore how China is reshaping global power balances, changing global rules, the growing confrontation over trade with the US and EU, and what future collaboration on shared risks could look like.

We will also be joined by guest speakers Professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Lijia Zhang for a dialogue on what is new and what is familiar about the current tensions and sources of misunderstanding between the U.S. and China. Drawing on personal experiences as well as their research and writing, they will offer their thoughts on how looking to the past can help us view more clearly the nature of U.S.-China relations in the New World Disorder of the present.

Stories

Gallery

2025 - China and the new world order

This year’s China Week looked at China’s rising influence in the world – from its economic power, innovation in technology to an expanding military presence. And, amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions, how the world’s second largest economy is reshaping, redefining and challenging a new world order.

Highlights included Sir Vince Cable, former politician, author and economist joined us to discuss 'superstates' China and India and his new book 'Eclipsing the West: China, India and the forging of a new world'. Founder & host of Sinica Podcast, Kaiser Kuo was in conversation with Elizabeth Ingleson (LSE) to discuss the scale of China's transformation, tensions with the US, the climate crisis and China's role in the global South.

Former foreign secretary for Britain, Sir Malcolm Rifkind joined Kerry Brown for a discussion on the US, China and the changing geopolitics and author, Xiaolu Guo, presented her latest book 'Call Me Ishmaelle' - a feminist reimagining of the classic Moby Dick.

View the programme

Watch the replays 

2024 - Whither the China Model? The economic, developmental and social challenges facing China today

With China facing significant headwinds in its domestic economy, this year's China Week explored what the future model for growth and development might look like, what challenges the country is facing today, what these mean for the rest of the world, and how these may be overcome.

We were delighted to hear from Professor Michael Pettis, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who gave the opening keynote on why it is so difficult to raise China's consumption share of GDP.

Well-known cook and writer, Fuchsia Dunlop closed this year's China Week speaking about her book 'Invitation to a Banquet' about the story of Chinese food.

Other topics included China's evolving approach to economic security, security and statecraft networks in the MENA region, China's role as a space power, the rise of Chinese feminist activism in the UK and more.

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2023 - China as an Education, Research and Development Superpower?

China Week 2023 took place from 16-20 October and looked at the theme of education and research. Experts explored the opportunities and challenges presented by China as a potential future global leader in education, research and knowledge, and what it means for how we continue to do research in, on and with China.

Guests were invited to engage in a deeper dialogue on China’s progress in research and development, the values that underpin this, and how they may lead to better research outcomes for both society and the planet.

Professor Daniel A. Bell delivered the closing keynote with a talk on the Confucian and Communist comeback in contemporary China. 

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2022 - Exploring China's digital revolution

China Week 2022 took place from 17-21 October on the theme of China's digital revolution, and explored the opportunities and challenges that China’s technological advancements present for China and the rest of the world, with the closing keynote by conceptual artist, Ai Weiwei.

Topics of discussion included:

  • China and the digital world order
  • China’s envirotech landscape
  • Big tech and the platform economy
  • Digital surveillance in China
  • Xi and the future of China’s leadership
  • Freedom of speech and surveillance

Download the programme

 

Watch the replays

 

2021 - Climate change and the environment

The inaugural China Week, hosted by the Lau China Institute, was held between 25-29 October 2021, in the lead-up to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Themed on climate change and the environment, the five-day flagship China Week series was a unique forum for discussion on China’s role in addressing the greatest global challenge of our time.

During the week, we hosted a range of in-person, hybrid and online events, including diverse perspectives from 46 speakers across academia, government and industry. With the help of 16 supporting partners, we achieved our goal of facilitating dialogue on China to inform a global audience by sharing our expertise in an accessible way.

The speakers involved in China Week represented a range of leading organisations, including the World Economic Forum, United Nations Environment Programme, Harvard Business School, Chatham House, China Dialogue, the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change at the London School of Economics, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Normal University, Australian National University, World Resources Institute, the Institute for International Political Studies and more.

Welcoming more than 1,800 guests across the week – both online and in-person – our audience included policymakers, industry leaders, NGOs, researchers and, of course, students.

Check out each individual event for recordings, photos and more details. All of the recorded events are also available on our Youtube channel.

Topics covered during the 2021 China Week included:

  • China’s 2060 carbon pledge and the economic transition to a low carbon future
  • the ‘green steel’ opportunity
  • digital environmental activism in the China
  • biodiversity and COP15
  • the health impacts of climate change
  • the Build Back Better World (B3W) vs the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)
  • the Green Belt & Road
  • the role of youth in driving change

Download the 2021 China Week programme (2.98 MB PDF).

See also