Concept Note

Theme: Zìlì Gēngshēng in an Era of ‘Great Changes Unseen’

China today stands at the intersection of profound domestic transformation and an increasingly volatile international order. From technological competition and supply chain fragmentation to demographic transitions, economic restructuring and intensifying geopolitical rivalry, Beijing characterises the contemporary international environment as one marked by “great changes unseen in a century” (百年未有之大变局). Although the phrase predates the presidency of Xi Jinping, it is under his leadership that it has become one of the defining frameworks through which the Communist Party of China (CPC) interprets the contemporary international order. Originally articulated by Chinese political scientist Yuan Peng in 2009, the concept was elevated into strategic lexicon by Xi in 2017. It has since been incorporated into the broader architecture of Xi Jinping Thought post the 19^th Party Congress, presenting a clear example of analytical assessment transforming into ideological dictum via which Zhōngnánhǎi understands the shifting global balance of power.

It is also within this worldview that zìlì gēngshēng (自力更生) - which translates to “regeneration through one’s own effort” or more simply, self-reliance - has acquired renewed strategic significance. Originally articulated during the revolutionary period as a principle of political survival and national reconstruction, zìlì gēngshēng has undergone successive reinterpretations across different phases of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Now embedded within contemporary policy as seen in the 15^th Five-Year Plan, the phrase is not confined to revolutionary rhetoric but rather used to push forward frameworks governing scientific innovation, military modernisation, new quality productive forces, social norms and more. The concept increasingly informs Beijing’s efforts to navigate external pressures/constraints while concurrently reshaping China’s developmental and global positioning within what it defines as an era of great changes unseen in a century.

 

The Fourth Edition of the Global Conference on new Sinology (GCNS) seeks to examine the contemporary meanings, applications and implications of zìlì gēngshēng across China’s internal and external behaviours within the broader framework of great changes unseen in a century. Moving beyond conventional interpretations of zìlì gēngshēng as ‘self-reliance’ that translates into economic or political autarky, the conference will explore how the concept in its true form - regeneration through one’s own effort - is reshaping elite politics, Party ideology, state-market relations, technological governance, military strategy, regional diplomacy and China’s engagement with the Global South in an age of systemic transformations.

 

Bringing together sinologists, scholars, policymakers, diplomats, practitioners, industry experts and researchers from around the world, GCNS 2026 continues with its aim to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the intellectual foundations of Chinese statecraft in New Delhi. Through discussions and debates spanning politics, economics, security, technology, foreign policy, society, military and strategic affairs, the conference will aim to deepen the understanding of how China is adapting to an era it defines as one of great changes unseen in a century, and how zìlì gēngshēng is shaping its vision for navigating the uncertainties of the decade.