Book Discussion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative: The Impact on Sub-Regional Southeast Asia

A TPF Book Discussion on “China’s Belt and Road Initiative: The Impact on Sub-Regional Southeast Asia”.

Event Brief:

The Peninsula Foundation (TPF) organized a virtual book discussion on Routledge’s latest publication China’s Belt and Road Initiative: The Impact on Sub-Regional Southeast Asia” on October 16, 2021. Edited by Dr. Christian Ploberger, Soavapa Ngampramuan and Tao song, the book title is a collection of the works of best-known sino-observers.  The book was published in July 2021.

Two editors of the book  Christian Ploberger, Soavapa Ngampramuan and another contributor Wei Liang joined in the discussion held on Zoom.  Air Marshal M Matheswaran AVSM VM PhD (Retd), the Chairman and President of TPF moderated the discussion.

Dr. Christian Ploberger,  whose most recent stint was with Thammasat University as a lecturer began the discussion with International perception towards BRI. He explained how China supports various economic corridors in different settings and mentioned the initiative is a strong indication of China’s national strength. He elucidated Thailand 4.0 strategy and several Thai-China Cooperative initiatives.

Dr. Ploberger pointed out a few challenges before China including unequal development among provinces and bordering areas.

Soavapa Ngampanuan, a Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok in Thailand remarked, “Thailand relies on the diplomatic infrastructure of China to be a tool to import technology, innovation and modern knowledge.”She appreciated China’s habit of listening to the non-state actors and further explained several challenges of the Chinese projects in Southeast Asia.

The third speaker in the book discussion was Wei Liang, a Professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), U.S.A. She is Gordon Paul Smith Chair of international policy in the School of International Policy and Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. 

She firmly believes that the government in Laos requires capital and interments which can only be met by China. Her research problem finding includes exploration of the policy shift of the Laotian government from balancing within the region to being increasingly aligned with China. She explained how Laos is moving ahead to become a land-linking ASEAN state from a landlocked country.

Prof. Wei Liang also emphasized the China-backed initiatives of the Laos government such as damming the Mekong river and massively generating electricity to meet their domestic requirements.

About the Book:

The book evaluates China’s relations with sub-regional Southeast Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework. The book looks at domestic drivers and regional receptivity of China’s
BRI and also delves into the challenges of China’s engagement in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).

The book examines how China’s BRI will contribute to the development of these countries, to regional economic integration and cooperation processes within a political-economic context. It addresses the BRI process within the
GMS on three levels: regional, individual recipient countries and the Chinese perspective. The case studies in the book will help to provide insights on China’s growing economic influence in sub-regional Southeast Asia and its Belt and Road Initiative.

This book will appeal to researchers interested in the BRI, China’s relations with Southeast Asia and China’s neighbourhood policy and how domestic considerations are influencing China’s policy making.

Panelists:

Moderator