Go West initiative may increase China’s self-reliance

Content type: Expert Briefings Location: CHINA Keywords associated with this article:

Geographic: China AP

ISSN: 2633-304X Citation:

Oxford Analytica (2020), "Go West initiative may increase China’s self-reliance", Expert Briefings.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Significance

It is also designed to enable greater reliance on domestic resources and markets in an increasingly hostile international geopolitical environment. Infrastructure is the core of the strategy.

Impacts

• The most visible impact will be the construction of infrastructure, especially in transport, energy and the high-tech sector.
• Foreign investors are likely to play little if any role in Go West.
• Some foreign firms may benefit if costs fall and incomes rise in Western China; others will lose out if China’s self-sufficiency increases.
• Economic growth will not reduce ethnic tensions in Xinjiang and Tibet if ethnic Han benefit disproportionately.