China, trade and Climate

A new report is launched that is worth reading for those who are interested in global trade and how OECD countries can support a sustainable development in China. Instead of a simplistic perspective (trade as good or bad) it brings a solution oriented approach. Rasmus Reinvang has done a great job and hopefully this can trigger a discussion, at least in the Nordic countries.

It is interesting that the Nordic countries are so isolated from each other. Amazing things can happen in the small countries up North, but it is more likely that it is being picked up by press outside the Nordic countries than by the neighbors. The new trade report was nowhere in Swedish media, even if it was full page news in Norway and made it into Chinese news media. Sad as the “Nordic model” could be an important inspiration for emerging economies like China and India.

One good thing might be that we can develop ideas in steps and still launch them as “new”… For this trade work we started last summer in Sweden, now Norway and we could take the next steps in Denmark…

But a joint Nordic/Scandinavian approach is probably necessary if we are to be more than a marginal actor in China and India.

PS
(the earlier Swedish study can be found here)