Former Australian Prime Minister and former Australian Ambassador to the United States, the Honourable Dr Kevin Rudd AC, examined the changing forces shaping China’s economy and its implications for the world at the 2026 China in the World Annual Lecture at Ƶ (ANU).
In his address, ‘’, Ƶalumnus and former Prime Minister of Australia Dr Rudd explored how Xi Jinping has reshaped China’s economic strategy and the ideology underpinning these changes, as well as what they could mean for China and the global economy.
“People often say to me, here we are in the 21st century: why does ideology matter?” said Dr Rudd.
“Ideology constitutes the headwaters of change in a Marxist-Leninist system, which is then in turn translated into policy over time, which informs behavioural changes within… the broader Chinese society.”
Dr Rudd reflected on how China’s economic strategy has repeatedly pivoted since Xi Jinping first ascended to his country’s paramount leadership in 2013.
He also explored the future trajectory of China's economic strategy and the potential implications for the rest of the world.
An Ƶalumnus, Dr Rudd is a leading authority on China and global president of the Asia Society. He established the Australian Centre on China in the World during his first term as Prime Minister (2007-10) and later served as Foreign Minister (2010-12) before returning as Prime Minister in 2013.
He graduated from Ƶwith Honours in Chinese language and East Asian history and subsequently completed a DPhil at the University of Oxford examining Xi Jinping’s ideological worldview. He is the author of The Avoidable War and On Xi Jinping.
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