DAFF 22A03 - China and South Central Asia; Belt and Road Initiatives and Terrorism

The course covers China's relationships with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the five Central Asian countries, excluding India and the rest of the South Asian countries. Regarding the South-Central Asian (SCA) countries bordering Xinjiang, China has pursued economic and security-oriented policies. It has financed two economic corridors/investments through the Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan and Central Asia, despite concerns about radical and terrorist groups in this region. Such policy has increased its political and security engagement in these countries. In Asian Studies and International Relations, SCA has been under scrutiny due to the high level of terrorist group activity and geostrategic competition. While the region is prone to potential upheaval, NATO and the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan has facilitated terrorist groups using Afghanistan, under Taliban control, as a safe sanctuary. Therefore, counterterrorism is another aspect of the course within Chinese foreign policy. Finally, the course aims to infer China's foreign policy and relations through Global IR and historical Chinese concepts/theory of IR during Xi's era. It also covers a broader picture of dealing with other stakeholders in the region and the world order in the latest of the course.

Sayed Mahdi MUNADI

Séminaire

English

Autumn 2024-2025

To successfully complete the course, students are required to complete the following assignments: 1) Reading review and responding to the session question - For each session, students must respond to a question in 200-300 written words based on the session's required readings, to be submitted before each session: 30% 2) Oral presentation: 20% 3) Final examination: 40% 4) In-class participation: 10%