June 8, 2026 China Café: From Real Estate Crisis to Export Boom: China’s New Growth Engine
Join us at the China Café with Heleen Mees on 8 June, where we will discuss the profound shifts in the Chinese economy and what they mean for the rest of the world and their impact on business. After the bursting of the real estate bubble in 2020, China was expected to boost its domestic consumption to cushion the loss in the real estate sector. Instead, the Chinese government opted for a different strategy: further scaling up exports. China now produces about 35% of all global manufacturing, and that share could rise to almost 50% by 2030. How has China achieved this growth, and what consequences does this have for global trade flows, dependencies and competitive relationships? During this evening with Heleen Mees, this development will be sharply analyzed and placed in a broader context.
Location:
Stadsbrasserie De Utrechter, Vredenburg 40, Utrecht, 5 minutes walk from Central Station, parking in Hoog Catharijne P5 Noord
Program:
17.00 – 17.30 Walkin with drinks
17.30 – 18.30 Interview with Heleen Mees and Q&A
18.30 – 19.00 Networking with drinks and snacks
The language is English
Prices:
Free for VNC members
€15 for non-members
€7.50 for students
Tickets are non-refundable, but transferable.
About the speaker:
Heleen Mees is an economist, opinion writer and author of four books. She’s a teaching professor at several universities, including New York University and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the impact of China’s rise on the West. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines including Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and Le Monde. She is also the cofounder of an NGO that advocates more women in top jobs. She divides her time between New York and Amsterdam, but in 2015 she lived a year in Doujiao Hutong in Beijing.
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