China Shows Democracy Is Not Key for Growth, EU Commissioner Says

(Bloomberg) -- China’s growth shows that democracy is not necessary to achieve economic success and that is changing the way we see and interact with such countries, European Union Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said.

“I think the illusion of changing an autocratic regime through trade, cultural exchanges, personal relations, is fading,” Gentiloni said Thursday at an event at the Peterson Institute in Washington D.C.

The commissioner, who is a former prime minister of Italy, said that for a long time advanced economies were convinced that a country wouldn’t prosper without also developing democratic institutions, a theme popularized by author Amartya Sen.

“Unfortunately not Russia but China is an example that this is not completely sure,” Gentiloni said. “So, we have to take this into account” and be less naive when interacting with autocratic regimes.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.