IADS Exclusive -“New China: new opportunities, new threats”

How the rise of a New China is rewriting the rules of global trade and retail strategy

During the 2025 IADS General Assembly, which took place in Hong Kong. David Baverez, an investor and writer, shared his original understanding of the disruptions linked to the emergence of a “new world order”, influenced by the rise of the ‘New China’. From his vantage point in Hong Kong, he highlighted a $600 billion China-US trade relationship now conducted with Hong Kong functioning as neutral ground for Chinese and US American CEOs to meet without legal or political risk, a role he likened to Vienna in the 20th-century US-USSR relationship.

This text is a synthesised version of his presentation, where he characterises China’s ‘economy of war’ as well as political, economic, demographic and cultural considerations for retailers. Confidential information including the Q/A section, only available to IADS members in the meeting recap on the IADS website, has been omitted from this article. This article is based on the presentation and does not reflect the views of the IADS.