Over the past year, views on the trajectory of the Chinese economy have seen significant shifts. Initial expectations of a robust recovery post-zero-COVID have given way to increasing skepticism about the enduring strength of the Chinese economic model. We cordially invite you to join the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center and Rhodium Group on October 4 for the unveiling of the 2023 edition of our flagship China Pathfinder initiative. Our analysis draws a distinction between short-term cyclical factors and more profound structural dynamics within China’s economy, seeking to answer a key question: How does China’s economic system compare to market economies, and what has been the cost of forgoing economic reforms?

Over the Since 2021, teams from Rhodium Group and the Atlantic Council have been working to create a “shared language” for understanding the Chinese economy. China Pathfinder uses a quantitative framework to score China and other leading economies across six economic areas—financial system development, market competition, modern innovation system, trade openness, direct investment openness, and portfolio investment openness—and presents an objective picture of China’s convergence with or divergence from market economy norms.