International virtual workshop
"Rethinking China's Belt and Road Initiative"
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May 13-14, 2021
The geo-political and geo-economic effects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have acquired paramount importance to international relations. The BRI is considered one of the most ambitious foreign policy attempts to dominate the economic, technological, and cultural realms amongst sixty–five countries. The BRI’s projects include, among others: investments in infrastructure, energy, railroads, telecommunications, and transports. Moreover, the BRI promises to improve the social and economic security of the recipient states. However, the BRI also faces unavoidable challenges, such as environmental degradation, cultural integration, debt sustainability, and Beijing’s increasing political influence on the recipient countries.
Panel 1
Thursday May 13, 2021
6:00 PM-7:30 PM (NZ GMT +12)
Dr Priscila Pilatowsky. Chair NZIIA PN
Introduction and welcome
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Dr Filippo Boni. Department of Politics and International Studies, Open University (UK)
“Negotiating the China Pakistan Economic Corridor: Local Imperatives and China’s Priorities”
Dhengua Zhang. Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and Pacific, ANU, Canberra, Australia
“China’s Belt and Road in the Pacific Region. Opportunities and Challenges”
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Q & A Session
Panel 2
Friday May 14, 2021
9:00 AM- 9:45 AM (NZ GMT +12)
Muhammad Waqar Anwar. NZIIA PN Executive member
Introduction
Dr Tayyab Safdar Department of Politics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
“South-South Cooperation and the BRI: Alternate development or neoliberal continuity. Evidence from the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)”
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Assoc Prof Jason Young. Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
"A New Zealand Appraisal of the BRI"
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Q & A Session
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Panel 3
Friday 14 May, 2021
6:00 PM- 7:30 PM (NZ GMT +12)
Dr Priscila Pilatowsky. NZIIA PN Chair
Introduction
Kulani Wijayabahu. Department of Politics, University of Otago, New Zealand
“The tragedy of a strategy: A Case Study on China’s BRI projects in Sri Lanka”
Muhammad Waqar Anwar, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University, New Zealand
“Power-State and Violence – A Critical Approach to BRI”
Eyck Freymann, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, University of Oxford, UK
“Ideology and Infrastructure: The Many Faces of Xi Jinping’s Legacy Project”
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Dr Khurram Iqbal. Department of International Relations: National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan
“Reshaping of Elite Patronage vis-à-vis the BRI”
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Q & A Session
Closing
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