China's Belt and Road Initiative

Introduction 10:45-11:10

Roundtable Discussions 11:10-12:20

Conclusion 12:20-12:30

Topics:
(i) What are the goals and aims of the Belt and Road Initiative?
(ii) What initiatives have been taken so far under the BRI framework? What have been the reactions to BRI, domestically and internationally?
(iii) What does it mean for specific regions, such as Central Asia?
(iv) How will it impact on relations with Russia and other major powers?

Participants:

Zhiqin SHI (Tsinghua University, Beijing)

Prof SHI is professor and chancellor of the School of Social Sciences and dean of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. He is the acting dean of the newly established One Belt and One Road Strategy Institute in Tsinghua University. He is also a resident scholar at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, where he runs the China-EU Relations program and the China-NATO dialogue series.

Prof Shi’s research interests focuses primarily on comparative politics and international relations, especially concerning European issues and China-EU relations.  He has published extensively in this area.

Jiahan CAO (Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Shanghai)
Dr CAO  is a research fellow at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS). Since 2015, he has been co-executive editor of China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies (CQISS), the flagship journal of SIIS. CAO’s research interests include sustainability standards in global value chains, U.S. energy strategy and energy policies, non-traditional security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the political and economic dynamics in Central Eurasia.

Bin MA (Fudan University, Shanghai)
Dr MA is assistant professor of International Studies in Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies at Fudan University. His research interests include Chinese foreign aid and investment to Central Asia area, and the political risks in the areas affected by the Belt and Road initiative.