- 04 Nov 2022
Sinostan: China’s Inadvertent Empire
(This event is organised by MEI Political Economy research cluster.)
China’s rise is changing the world. Much attention has been given to how China’s geo-economic vision is playing out in the global economy, or how its technology is reshaping the planet. Yet, it is over its western borders, in Central Asia, that China’s influence has been quietly expanding in a more pervasive way. It is here that you can find the first strand of Xi Jinping’s grand Belt and Road Initiative, China’s new Silk Road to the West. It is to the Eurasian heartland that we can look to for an understanding of China’s new foreign policy vision and its consequences.
In Sinostan, Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen recount their travels across Central Asia to tell the story of China’s growing influence. They interview Chinese traders in latter-day Silk Road bazaars; climb remote mountain passes threatened by construction; commiserate with Afghan archaeologists charged with saving centuries-old Buddhist ruins before they are swept away by mining projects; meet with eager young Central Asians learning Mandarin; and sit with officials in all five Central Asian capitals, bearing witness to a region increasingly transformed by Beijing’s presence. Their stories and experiences illustrate how China’s foreign policy initiative has expressed itself on the ground, and what it means for those living both within and beyond the boundaries of its “inadvertent empire”.
This public talk will be conducted both in-person and online via Zoom on Friday, 4 Nov 2022, from 5.00 pm to 6 pm SGT.
All are welcome to participate. This event is free, however, registration is compulsory. Successful registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom details closer to the date of the event.
(Please indicate your choice of attendance upon registration. In-person attendance is limited to 50 pax per session on a first come first serve basis via registration.)
Photo Image: Sinostan book cover
Listen to the Podcast.
About the Speakers
Senior Fellow
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan
Senior Research Fellow
Middle East Institute, NUS
Raffaello Pantucci is a Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also a Senior Associate Fellow of RUSI (2013-present) and was formerly Director of International Security Studies. His research focuses on terrorism and counter-terrorism, as well as China’s relations with its western neighbours. He currently spends his time between Singapore and London.
Prior to joining RSIS in Singapore in 2020, Raffaello lived for over three years in Shanghai, where he was a visiting scholar at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS). Before that, he worked in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), after a stint at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. He has also held positions at the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR), and at the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College, London.
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan is a Senior Research Fellow specialising in Middle East strategic affairs, with a particular focus on Israel–Hizballah conflict and the evolution of the Gulf security system. Prior to joining MEI, he held various positions in the policy sector. He worked as a visiting scholar with the RAND Corporation (2007-2008) and as an advisor at the directorate for strategic affairs of the French Ministry of Defense (2008-2011). He then gained extensive experience in the domain of military education and training, first as a deputy director for the Middle East Faculty of the NATO Defense College (2011-2016) and as an associate professor in strategic studies with the UAE National Defense College (2016-2021).
Dr Samaan has written four books as well as various articles for academic and policy journals. He holds a PhD in political science from University of Paris La Sorbonne (2009) and an accreditation to supervise research (2017) by the doctoral school of Sciences Po, Paris.
