Programmes

The original and continuing focus of ICS research and public outreach was China’s political system, economy, history, society and foreign policy, with particular reference to India–China relations. In 2018-2019, the Institute added a new research vertical, China in the World, necessitated by the need to look at the broadening of engagements by India and China in regions like Africa and Latin America. The ICS strives to collaborate with research institutes in other parts of the world and partner with research scholars from different geographies who are also examining China’s changing role in the world.

COMPLETED PROJECTS:

China-Zambia Economic Relations: Perspectives from the Agricultural Sector

Veda Vaidyanathan, Visiting Associate Fellow, ICS (Project Director)

The ICS had currently undertaken a research project examining Chinese engagement in Zambia, with a focus on Chinese investments in the agricultural and mining sectors. The study was lead by Dr. Veda Vaidyanathan, former Research Associate and currently Visiting Associate Fellow at ICS. She conducted fieldwork in Zambia in September 2019 and visited Chinese owned farms in Chongwe and Chisamba and travelled to Ndola, Kitwe and Chingola in the copperbelt province to interview Chinese and Zambian stakeholders engaged in the Copper mining sector. This project tried weave grassroots perspectives gathered from the field with the broader discourse on Chinese engagement in the African continent.  

The research project resulted in a monograph titled "China-Zambia Economic Relations: Perspectives from the Agricultural Sector" which include chapters contributed by research scholars, experts and practitioners from India, Zambia and China.

China’s Infrastructure Development in Africa: An Examination of projects in Tanzania and Kenya

Veda Vaidyanathan, Visiting Associate Fellow, ICS (Project Director)

This study examined China's infrastructure building in Africa, one of the most visible and high profile components of its diplomacy in the continent. The sector has also been identified by the Government of China, Tanzania and Kenya for deepening collaboration. This research project created a strong framework of examining these projects and their outcomes by using a case study method to gain an in-depth understanding. The study identified a plethora of African stakeholders as well as Indian and Chinese actors in the markets to gather differing perspectives. While the existing literature on the theme helped build context, the data collected from the field was analyzed objectively and with integrity. The findings from this study was disseminated in a workshop hosted in New Delhi in April 2019 and the resultant monograph will be published shortly. 

ICS partnered with the Sino-Africa Centre of Excellence (SACE) in Kenya and REPOA in Tanzania.  The project was lead by Dr. Veda Vaidyanathan, former researcher and currently Visiting Associate Fellow at ICS, New Delhi. She was accompanied by the China lead at SACE, Ms. Tong Wu as well as Dr. Jumanne Gomera, Policy Analyst in the Tanzanian Prime Minister's Office. Ms Sunaina Bose and Mr. Uday Khanapurkar worked as Research Assistants on the study and contributed to the chapters. The multicultural team of scholars conducted month long fieldwork in Mumbai, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Zanzibar.

The resultant monograph containing the research findings was published after peer review in November 2019.

PROPOSED PROJECTS

Chinese Acquisition of African Resources: A Case Study of Zimbabwe 

CONFERENCES / SEMINARS / WORKSHOP / DIALOGUE

A Round Table Event: ‘China’s Africa Engagement: An Indian Perspective’
Cohosted by the Institute of Chinese Studies & Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
05.April. 2019 at the Seminar Room, NMML