CEFC Roundtable - Perspectives on Chinese Development and Planning: A Dialogue Between Two Human Geographers

As global governance, geopolitical instability, and environmental crises reshape societies, the role of spatial planning is undergoing a profound revival. But planning is not solely technical. For instance, French Dominique Faure’s 2025 report to the government on spatial planning insists that planning must bring about a “positive vision of the ‘France territory’ for 2030 and 2050”. Similarly, China’s planning has been used as a strategic tool to sustain its growth. From “new socialist countryside” to “building a beautiful homeland”, China’s growth, planning, and spatial governance are framed in broadly defined society projects.

This roundtable brings together two leading experts to explore how China’s approach to spatial planning is shaping its development trajectory. David Juilien, whose research centres on spatial planning, territorial dynamics, and rural transformations in China, will present a case study on rural restructuring in Yunnan. He will be joined in the discussion by Jiang Xu, a specialist in urban planning and regional development at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Speakers:

David Juilien: Lecturer and Researcher at the Joint Institute of the Universities of Ningbo and Angers (ICUNA). Associate researcher at the French Institute of Geopolitics (IFG Lab)
Jiang Xu: Chair and Professor in the Department of Geography and Resource Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Moderator: Florence Padovani, Director of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC)