We attended the CLSA forum held in Chengdu, China during May where a number of companies and keynote speakers presented to over 200 delegates from around the world. Our goal was to better understand the Chinese economy and more importantly gauge where it is likely heading. We sought to separate some of the noise presented in popular western media and see what is actually occurring. It became clear during the forum that to understand the future direction of China and whether important reforms can be successfully implemented, you first need to understand the complex politics of the Chinese Communist Party. John Pomfret a former Washington Post journalist, bestselling author and long-time Chinese resident gave an insightful speech with a focus on Chinese politics and its relationship to the economy on the first day of the conference. We summarise the key points in this piece
