Five years after the initial announcement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing’s expanding foreign presence has stimulated the imagination and concern of many across Europe and elsewhere. The land route (The Belt) and the maritime route (The Road) from East to West now pass through crucial Chinese-financed infrastructure in Greece, Kenya, Pakistan, and more. Furthermore, despite widespread alarm that the growing Chinese credit will be used to gain strategic influence, many governments have prioritized capitalizing on the largest foreign investment scheme in history. However, beyond the rhetoric around the BRI, Chinese policy is still significantly fragmented, and past patterns in Chinese outwards investment might provide clues on the possible implications of the BRI.
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Jiayi Zhou is a researcher at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and has earlier worked as a researcher and analyst at NATO and the US Air Force, respectively. Her research circles around international security questions with a special focus on Eurasia.
Date: 18-03-2019
Time: 18:15-19:30
Place: Hörsal 1, Ekonomikum
Admission: Free for members, 60 kr for non-members. A one-year membership can be purchased at the event for 100 SEK.
In collaboration with Folkuniversitetet.