The Belt and Road Initiative: Should the EU and Russia support or refuse the Chinese Global Project?
Abstrakt
Over the last decades, the substantial economic rise of East Asia has occurred, China being at the forefront. China is the most populated country in the world and, according to some macroeconomic aggregates, the global biggest economy.
Internal economic reforms have been accompanied by power expansion, leading to the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Through the BRI, the Chinese leadership has attempted at the interconnection of individual national economies, massive construction of infrastructure, facilitating China's domestic production export, and also of deepening communication and cooperation among both state and non-state actors.
The BRI represents an ambitious integration project which has the potential to transform the present shape of the international order and globalisation. The EU's and Russia's representatives have been remaining circumspect, being, at the same time, not against participation in the project.
Given the potential of the BRI, it is necessary to analyse it in a critical way, identifying both its risks and benefits. The conference will provide manifold insights and attitudes, enabling comparison of different national as well as disciplinary perspectives.