We hereby would like to invite you to a guest lecture by Dr. Aya Adachi entitled: The Global South in the wake of China's economic surplus. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 29th 2025, at 16.15  in room GB 04/159. Prior registration is not required. Please share this invitation with your networks.

Abstract:

This lecture examines the  implications of China's growing industrial overcapacity for developing countries, with a particular focus on trade imbalances and trade structures with the Global South. As China expands its manufacturing surplus—especially in green technologies, machinery, and consumer goods—many developing economies find themselves increasingly reliant on low-cost Chinese imports while struggling to build competitive domestic industries. Drawing on quantitative trade data and qualitative policy analysis, this presentation explores how China's export dominance is reshaping global trade patterns and hindering value chain upgrading. While middle-income countries like India, Brazil, and Argentina have introduced defensive trade measures, lower-income nations often lack the institutional capacity to respond. The lecture builds on a recent policy publication with the Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt Stiftung and concludes by outlining strategic avenues for the European Union to support trade resilience and industrial growth in the Global South—through targeted cooperation, diversified partnerships, and investments in sustainable local manufacturing—arguing that a more balanced global economic architecture will require greater policy coordination and solidarity across regions.