Event

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is said to be aimed at generating both economic gains, but also political ones – tying recipients of Chinese investments closer to Beijing. But does investing in infrastructure projects generate increased political influence?

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This seminar brings together insights from a five-year research project that has examined the political and social impacts of infrastructure projects. The project has considered not only the BRI but also alternative infrastructure programs from the US, Japan, G7 and EU. It has aimed to develop a more nuanced understanding of global infrastructure initiatives and how infrastructure providing states wield power globally, and to identify the factors that strengthen or undermine such initiatives.

Through a comparative lens, we will explore how global initiatives on infrastructure have developed over the past decade and specifically the impacts of the BRI in different locations, including Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the MENA region. How are these regions navigating the opportunities and risks presented by the BRI and its alternatives, while also considering the broader implications for regional and global power dynamics?

The event will also be live streamed on NUPI's YouTube channel (no registration needed for online participation).

This seminar is organized by the Norwegian Centre for Geopolitics and NUPI.

Participants

Wrenn Yennie Lindgren

Senior Research Fellow

Carla Freeman

Director of the Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University

Deborah Welch Larson

Professor, University of California, Los Angeles

Nicola Nymalm

Lecturer in International Relations of East Asia, University of Edinburgh

Hidekazu Sakai

Professor, Kansai Gaidai University

Chairs

Morten Skumsrud Andersen

Senior Research Fellow

Lunting Wu

Senior Research Fellow