The launch provides an opportunity to engage some of the scholars who contributed to the research, as well as with some of the practical recommendations of this study.

Thematic areas covered in the research report include examination of China as a ‘civilisational-state’, its societal characteristics, complex political structure, success as a state-led economy, and its economic relations with developed and developing regions including Africa.

With China poised to become a major global power in the 21st century, it is fitting to examine the factors which have contributed to the rise, once again, of this multifaceted country and notable civilisation. There are varied lessons to be gleaned from this for South Africa and for the ‘Africa Rising’ narrative.