You can read the full transcript here.
The Belt and Road Initiative, China’s trillion-dollar global infrastructure project, marks a decade this year. This anniversary provides an opportune moment to reflect on the local impact of the project and how China’s economic, political, and foreign policy goals have evolved to adjust to the needs of partner countries and in response to great power competition. A region where this dynamic is visible is South Asia, where Beijing has attempted to provide economic benefits to countries in a competition for influence with India and the United States. Join South Asian Voices (SAV) for the second in a two-part webinar series examining China’s role in South Asia. This discussion will focus on how Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka perceive Chinese, Indian, and American engagement in the subcontinent and the broader implications of these interactions for regional stability and prosperity. Panelists will reflect on their recent contributions for an SAV series examining local and regional perceptions of Chinese economic and strategic interests in the subcontinent and prospects for bilateral relations as well as great power rivalry.
Featured Speakers
Kalpit Mankikar, Fellow, Strategic Studies Program, Observer Research Foundation
Kithmina Hewage, Senior Development Policy Advisor
Shafi Mostofa, Associate Professor of World Religions and Culture., University of Dhaka
Gaurab Shumsher Thapa, President, Nepal Forum of International Relations Studies
Nilanthi Samaranayake, Visiting Expert, United States Institute of Peace
Moderator
Akriti (Vasudeva) Kalyankar, Fellow, South Asia Program, Stimson Center