Why Are We Afraid of China?

Today marks the third installment of Big Think’s series on business sustainability, sponsored by Logica. For the next ten Mondays (through June 8, 2010), we will release in-depth discussions with top European experts focusing on how we can better align the interests of business with the greater social good. Today’s clip is from an interview with Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway’s former Prime Minister. She talks about the competition between the U.S., Europe and China, and how it will affect the sustainability landscape going forward.”The best thing we can do is be collaborative and see to it that the patterns that are being used are inspired by future looking technologies, and it will benefit all of us,” says Brundtland. So why is everyone so afraid of China? “This being so afraid about competitiveness, I have never understood. Even as a Prime Minister, unless you have products or services to sell to other outside your own country, then you better look for other things that you can do better. We live in a world where we all benefit from doing what we are best at doing and use our minds and our efforts to promote a development taciturn that benefits all of us. So, this drama about being so scared about everybody else, I have never really taken onboard.”