A round table discussion on the topic “China 2023 – The Reopening Implications for the South Caucasus and Central Asia” under the auspices of the Institute for Development and Diplomacy in partnership with PASHA Holding took place at ADA University.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Economic Scientific Research Institute (ESRI), Mahir Humbatov, senior managers from Pasha Holding, Azerbaijan Investment Holding, representatives of different think tanks and students attended the event.

The event took place in the form of free discussions moderated by professor of ADA University, Damjan Krnjevic Miskovic. The topic of the event had to do with the impact of China’s reopening of borders in the near future on the country’s economy and the lifting of restrictions in regards to COVID-19. During the meeting the important topics such as Chinese economy, technology, energy transition and corporate governance were discussed.

The main lecturer was Yermolai Solzhenitsyn, a Shanghai-based Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. He dwelt on the registered and expected Consumer Confidence Index for the People’s Republic of China for 2020, 2030 and 2050, the share and the degree of development of sectors in the Gross Domestic Product, One Belt-One Road Initiative, the role of the use of green energy in carbon emissions, current situation in respect to the age indicators and working capacity of the population, non-financial sector, opportunities for Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Central Asia, The United States of America and for China’s neighbour states, companies and persons. At the end of the presentation Yermolai Solzhenitsyn stressed that the reopening of borders will impact the creation of supply value chain in the Central Asian and South Caucasian countries, effective implementation of transit transfer rules of ready products, incubation of new industry areas considering the obstacles at the country of origin and the development of tourism and other areas.