What’s in the future for China? China has transformed from a closed-door society to a prosperous and progressive one in the past 40 years. Pragmatism and pro-growth policies in the reform era centered mostly on people’s lives and building a nation with a modern economic system. With China at the threshold of entering the middle-income stage, how will the nation advance further in the coming decades? In light of sharply rising geopolitical challenges on the global stage and the declining prospect of consistent moderate expansion on the domestic front, how the new generation of Chinese leadership tackles these challenges—if they choose to do so—via social transformation and political reform will be critical. Through the lenses of scholars, business executives, and government officials, this panel will discuss the likely approaches the Chinese leadership will take to answer to the current challenges and opportunity. Along the discussion, the panel will touch upon the importance of foreign firms and capital in the future of China’s success.

Moderator Sheryl WuDunn Co-Founder, FullSky Partners; Co-Author, “China Wakes” and “A Path Appears” Speakers Nicholas Lardy Anthony M. Solomon Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Author, “The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?” Michael Pillsbury Director, Center on Chinese Strategy, Hudson Institute; Author, “The Hundred-Year Marathon” Sophie Richardson China Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch Stephen Roach Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University Perry Wong Managing Director, Research, Milken Institute