FROM REGIONAL CLUSTERS TO GLOBAL NETWORKS

In this new book, instead of a simple opposition to the new Chinese expansionist policy ("One Belt One Road Initiative"), Professor Mauricio Sousa argues that the European Union should start to formulate strategies to expand parts of productive processes of its industries to new markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America, in partnership with business groups from these developing countries.
Thus, avoiding a new trade war, Eastern and Western countries would benefit from the coordination of development initiatives for these new markets, with many developing countries having opportunity to receive technologies and to train their workforce to new production patterns (such as Industrie 4.0), while expanding European, North American and Asiatic supply chains, optimizing new port and railway infrastructures that China has been building around the world.
European Digital Shipping companies could play a key role in this process, since they are increasingly being able to apply Blockchain and other new technology standards in order to identify business opportunities and to plan new logistics channels, becoming a strategic link between European and North American industries and new regions in developing countries to where they could expand, accelerating the formation of more consumer markets, integrating regional clusters into global production networks.