China: the Geo-economic Scenario

Abstract

The main difficulties in the interaction between western countries (in particular European countries) and China are often ascribed to the cultural gap existing among peoples with different histories and customs. The following section of this chapter on China’s geo-economic scenario focuses on the historical events of this country. It gives an overview of the multimillennial Chinese culture and of the principal transformations that have led it from the imperialism of the Confucian era to the ‘free market socialism’ of today.