China and the US are competing to shape a new world economic and technological order. National champions and startups both play a key role. How are the two superpowers seeking to win this competition? What are its implications? And how are other countries adapting to the new order? 

Join us for a discussion with experts Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Robyn Klingler-Vidra (King's College London), James Kynge (formerly the Financial Times), Nikki Sun (University of Oxford) and Xin Sun (Lau China Institute, King's College London) as part of China Week 2025.

This is a hybrid event. Registration is required.

For those unable to attend in-person, register to join online. 

NB This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee all ticket holders a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis. Those without tickets will not be admitted.

About the speakers

Ramon Pacheco Pardo is Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is also King's Regional Envoy for East and South East Asia, helping to shape and implement the university's strategy for the region. His publications include the books North Korea: Survival of a Political Dynasty (Agenda Publishing, 2024), Korea: A New History of South & North (Yale University Press, 2023; with Victor Cha), South Korea's Grand Strategy: Making Its Own Destiny (Columbia University Press, 2023), Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2022) and North Korea-US Relations from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un (Routledge, 2019). 

Robyn Klingler-Vidra is Reader in Political Economy and Entrepreneurship at King’s Business School. She is the author of Startup Capitalism: New Approaches to Innovation Strategies in East Asia (Cornell University Press, 2025, with Ramon Pacheco Pardo) and The Venture Capital State: The Silicon Valley Model in East Asia (Cornell University Press, 2018). Robyn’s research focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture capital. She has led cross-country studies for Innovate UK, UNDP, and the Asian Productivity Organisation.

Nikki Sun is programme manager at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, University of Oxford. She has a decade of experience working at the intersection between journalism, public policy, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Oxford, she was a researcher at Chatham House, where she studied the impact of AI on employment and labour in China. Nikki is a seasoned speaker at UK parliamentary sessions on labour policies and runs training courses for UK civil servants. Before moving to the UK, Nikki was an award-winning journalist and columnist in Hong Kong where she covered China technology and politics. Her work appears in publications including Nikkei Asia, Financial Times, and South China Morning Post.

James Kynge is an author and journalist specialising in China – its politics, economics, society and culture. He served as the Financial Times’ Europe-China correspondent, and its Global China Editor and is the winner of the prestigious Harold Wincott award for journalism for his coverage of China and its relationship with the world. He is the author of ‘China Shakes the World’ and most recently, ‘Global Tech Wars: China’s Race to Domination.’

Xin Sun is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese and East Asian Business at the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. He is an expert in political economy, economic policies and government-business relations in China. His work focuses on the interplay between China’s formal and informal institutions and how these types of institution jointly shape economic and policy outcomes as well as business behaviours. He is currently researching land politics and the housing market in China, looking at how informal political practices affect property rights institutions and land use and regulatory behaviours.