ICS- Institute of Chinese Studies

The Academic Underpinnings of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB): A Report on the Launch of the Collaborative Innovation Centre for SREB Studies

04 Feb 2015

Prof. Alka Acharya, Director, ICS

Venue: ICS Seminar Room

Time: 2:30 PM

Abstract

During his September 2013 Central Asia visit, Xi Jinping announced the new Chinese strategy of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) in Kazakhstan, which has been seen as an “upgraded” version of China’s “going out” strategy in the Xi Jinping-Li Keqiang era. As China embraces its role as an expanding world power under President Xi Jinping's leadership, it is systematically and methodically moving towards strengthening its economic, commercial and institutional linkages across Asia. Over the course of 2014, we have seen the proposed SREB constituting an important component of Chinese diplomacy, and its economic reforms. A comprehensive report and roadmap is due to be released shortly under the auspices of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) indicating that the Silk Road strategy relies on top-level government coordination. The NDRC's involvement would enhance the power of large SOEs by facilitating large-scale infrastructure construction, energy sale and transport, and relocation of manufacturing industries.

One significant marker of this has been the rash of international conferences all across China on the SREB. The recent 'First High-level International Forum of Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB)' held in Xi’an, Shaanxi, was a major initiative in this series. It can be assessed as an ambitious initiative to build academic linkages across Asia, which will both feed into and strengthen the ideational component in the SREB Strategy.

About the Speaker

Prof. Alka Acharya is currently on deputation as Director and Senior Fellow of the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi, from the Centre for East Asian Studies (Chinese Studies) School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where she is Professor and former Chairperson. She has been teaching courses on Chinese Foreign Policy and Political Economy to the Masters and M.Phil students and guiding doctoral research since 1993. Moreover, she is on the Editorial Board of China Report, a journal of East Asian Affairs since 2005.