The Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy

Washington, DC - Georgetown University’s Center for Business and Public Policy was pleased to host Irene Wu for a discussion of her new book From Iron Fist to Invisible Hand: The Uneven Path of Telecommunications Reform in China on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Dr. Wu’s book covers the economic and political changes that have driven the evolution of the Chinese telecommunications industry. In particular, she discusses recent changes in the political landscape of China, including the decentralization of national authority while the country rises as a great power, and the economic role of competition among bureaucracies.

In her remarks at the Center for Business and Public Policy, Dr. Wu raised three topics for conversation. First, she discussed political reforms and the continuing evolution of the regulatory regime, which has led to difficulties in interconnection. Second, she raised the issue of ideology and how the desire to spread state-supported messages has driven some telecommunications expansion. Finally, she predicted that economic reform will continue, given that changes in telecommunications markets and technologies will continue.

Following her lecture, Dr. Wu took questions on a wide range of issues, such as internet filtering, foreign investment, market dynamics, and state-led technological development.