The Belt and Road Podcast

The Politics of Development Project Selection: China, OECD finance and Local Political Geography in Africa w/ Keyi Tang Aug 26, 2026 1:02:17 Erik and Keren are joined by Dr. Keyi Tang, author of Power Over Progress, to examine one of the most consequential but often overlooked questions in development finance: who determines where externally funded projects are built?Drawing on geocoded data connecting subnational elections and development projects across 48 African countries, 175 elite interviews, and fieldwork in Ethiopia, Ghana, and

Environmental Issues along the Belt and Road, Episode 2: Critical Minerals Feb 15, 2026 1:11:48 This is Episode 2 of our sub-series "Environmental Issues along the Belt and Road." The series considers the complexities of Chinese actors’ impacts on the environment, extractive activities, & role in driving sustainability solutions from the sands of the Mekong River to lithium mines in Argentina. Since 2012, China has invested roughly US$4 billion in 12 nickel projects across Sout

The Political Economy of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor: History, Stakeholders and Sustainability with Tayyab Safdar and Hasan H. Karrar Aug 10, 2025 1:09:50 Keren speaks with Tayyab Safdar and Hasan H. Karrar about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a 3,000 km Chinese infrastructure network project currently under construction in Pakistan and a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. CPEC spans energy, highways, railways, and ports, aiming to connect China's western regions to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan. For China, CPEC

All Things Durian with Beimeng Fu and Zhaoyin Feng Jun 24, 2025 1:00:18 Beimeng Fu and Zhaoyin Feng join the Belt and Road Podcast to talk about durian, a tropical fruit most widely known for its strong and divisive odor. It's also a fruit in very high demand in China; the country consumes 1.5 million tons of durian per year. Beimeng and Zhaoyin talk about how Chinese consumption of the fruit is driving durian plantation expansion across Southeast Asia and what t

Reconfiguring Racial Capitalism with Mingwei Huang Apr 22, 2025 47:44 Mingwei Huang joins Juliet, Keren, and Sisi to talk about the social and racial dimensions of China's increasing engagement with Africa, with a focus on Huang's research in Johannesburg, South Africa. The discussion is inspired by Mingwei's recent book, Reconfiguring Racial Capitalism: South Africa in the Chinese Century (Duke University Press, 2024).Mingwei Huang is assistant profe

Environmental Issues along the Belt and Road, Episode 1: Manufacturing the Clean Energy Transition Apr 3, 2025 57:47 This is Episode 1 of our sub-series "Environmental Issues along the Belt and Road"The series considers the complexities of Chinese actors' impacts on the environment, extractive activities, and role in driving sustainability solutions from the sands of the Mekong River to lithium mines in Argentina. China produces 80% of the world's solar panels, over 60% of all wind turbines,

Sino-Zambian Relations with Justin Haruyama Mar 16, 2025 51:45 Justin Haruyama joins Juliet, Erik, and Sisi (welcome to our new team member/producer!) to talk about China-Zambia relations, from the history of Chinese aid in Zambia to the complex people-to-people relations that characterize this bilateral relationship.Justin Haruyama is an instructor of anthropology at The University of British Columbia whose research explores diverse forms of relationality en

The Latercomer’s Rise and the Globalization of Chinese Development Finance with Muyang Chen Oct 22, 2024 42:19 Muyang Chen joins Erik and Keren to talk all things Chinese development finance, including her recent book, The Latecomer's Rise: Policy Banks and the Globalization of China's Development Finance (2024).Muyang Chen is an Assistant Professor of International Development at Peking University's School of International Studies. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection

China’s Complex Presence in Southeast Asia: Tourism, Organized Crime, Geopolitical Tensions Sep 19, 2024 52:38 Enze Han joins Juliet and Keren to discuss all things China in Southeast Asia, from migration to tourism to pig butchering scams, and much more. Enze Han is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include the international relations of East Asia, China's relations with Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian po

Infrastructure States and Cycling Along the China-Laos Railroad with Jess DiCarlo Jul 23, 2024 48:33 Jess DiCarlo joins Juliet and Keren for a dynamic discussion about China's identity as an infrastructural state, the myth of the debt trap narrative, cycling as method (and Jess's experience biking along the China-Laos train route), the impact of the BRI in Laos, and much more. Dr. Jess DiCarlo is an assistant professor in Geography, Environment, and Asian Studies at the University of U

Ocean Consciousness and the Maritime Silk Road with Tabitha Grace Mallory and Andrew Chubb May 30, 2024 58:24 Tabitha Grace Mallory and Andrew Chubb visit the Belt and Road Podcast to chat about China's ocean economy, maritime activities, and the role of concepts like ocean consciousness. Dr. Tabitha Grace Mallory is CEO of the consulting firm China Ocean Institute, and an affiliate faculty member of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Tabitha specializes in Chinese foreign and env

Leland Lazarus on Triads, Taiwan, and China's Forum Diplomacy in Latin America and the Caribbean Apr 22, 2024 45:34 Leland Lazarus joins Juliet to talk about Chinese and Taiwanese engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean, from official diplomatic activities to BRI projects to transnational organized crime. Leland Lazarus is the Associate Director of National Security at Florida International University’s Jack D. Gordon Institute of Public Policy. He is an expert on China’s relations with Latin America and

Environmental Justice and Coal-Fired Power Plants in Indonesia with Bowen Gu Mar 8, 2024 41:10 Bowen Gu joins Juliet and Erik on the podcast to talk about environmental justice and China's coal investments in Indonesia, with a focus on Gu's recent paper: Black gold and green BRI: A grounded analysis of Chinese investment in coal-fired power plants in Indonesia (2024).Bowen Gu is a PhD student at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Barcel

An Anthropological Understanding of Chinese-financed Special Economic Zones in Nigeria with Omolade Adunbi Nov 9, 2023 45:24 Professor Omolade Adunbi joins Juliet and Erik on the podcast to talk about China's free trade zones in Nigeria. Adunbi is the Director of the African Studies Center, Professor of Anthropology and Afroamerican and African Studies, Professor of Law, and Faculty Associate in the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan. His research explores issues related to governance, infrast

How China is Reshaping International Technical Standards with Tim Rühlig Sep 27, 2023 46:07 Juliet, Erik, and guest Tim Ruhlig discuss technical standards, China’s growth in technical industries and its increasing influence in leading and setting standards, and the new geopolitics of technical standardization and interdependence.Tim Ruhlig is a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, where he researches Europe-China relations, German-China relations, Hong Kong politics,

Funding the Pre-Project Pipeline: China's New MCDF with Shuang Liu Aug 20, 2023 30:21 Before the shovels hit the dirt, before a developer gets construction permits, before an MOU is signed, there exists a huge process of project feasibility, planning, and pre-approval. That process is incredibly complex and costly, but a new Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) has been established to help. Shuang Liu joins Juliet and Erik on this episode to discuss how th

China, the U.S., and Critical Minerals in the DRC with Laetitia Tran Ngoc Jul 13, 2023 37:39 Juliet chats with Laetitia Tran Ngoc about the state of China-Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) relations, the way people in the DRC view China and the U.S., outside interest in critical minerals mining in the DRC, and the domestic situation of the DRC that acts as a destabilizing factor to it all. Her article in South China Morning Post is here: "Mineral-rich central Africa become foca

The Periphery Perspective: Global China from the Borderlands with Ale Rippa Apr 28, 2023 41:00 Alessandro (Ale) Rippa joins Juliet and Erik on the podcast to talk about how he uses China's borderlands as a starting point to understand the Chinese state, global engagements like the Belt and Road Initiative, and Chinese development. They discuss Ale's experiences working in China's border regions in Xinjiang and Yunnan, how borders are zones of connection and disconnection, Chi

China's Growing Flirtations with International NGO Collaboration with May Farid and Hui Li Mar 24, 2023 47:18 May Farid and Hui Li drop by the podcast to talk about INGOs, or international non-governmental organizations, and specifically how their relationship with China is shifting as China goes global. The conversation focuses on their article "International NGOs as intermediaries in China's 'going out' strategy." May Farid is a political scientist studying civil society, poli

COP15 and China's Growing Environmental Leadership with Jesse Rodenbiker and Tyler Harlan Jan 17, 2023 1:03:12 Juliet is joined by friends and fellow researchers Jesse Rodenbiker and Tyler Harlan to discuss their recent experiences at the COP15 of the Conference on Biological Diversity, China's growing environmental leadership, and China's domestic environmental policies and their impact on BRI initiatives and overseas engagements. Jesse starts off the conversation with some background on China&a

Comparing the Railway Bureaucracies in China and India with Kyle Chan Dec 12, 2022 43:10 Kyle Chan visits the Belt and Road Podcast to talk about state capacity in railway bureaucracies in China and India, his research collected while riding trains through the two countries, the incredibly mundane naming of Chinese companies, and much more. This episode discusses Kyle's research published in two articles: Inside China's state-owned enterprises: Managed competition through a

Exploring Chinese Soft Power with Maria Repnikova Oct 24, 2022 49:14 Juliet and Erik are joined by Maria Repnikova to talk about her book, "Chinese soft power," Confucius Institutes, China's love for spectacle, and of course, how all this and more applies to the Belt and Road. What is soft power? How is China doing when it comes to soft power projection around the world? Listen to find out!Maria Repnikova is the Director of the Center for Global Info

Evaluating Mega Projects: The Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya with Keren Zhu Sep 16, 2022 38:59 Keren Zhu talked with us about her research on the socioeconomic impacts of the Belt and Road, specifically with regard to Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). She provides background and analysis on the SGR, she and Eric discuss their personal experiences riding the railway, and more! Much of the conversation centers around Keren's recent work with co-authors Ben Mwangi and Lynn Hu, p

China's Global Climate Governance with Jeffrey Qi Aug 9, 2022 44:18 Jeffrey Qi discusses China's growing role in high-level, high-stakes global climate governance. We discuss research Jeffrey conducted as a master's student in political science at the University of British Columbia and the resulting article he wrote with his advisor Peter Dauvergne, China's rising influence on climate governance: Forging a path for the global South (2021), which can

US Strategy Regarding China's Presence in the African Continent with Winslow Robertson and Owakhela Kankhwende Jun 23, 2022 49:35 Erik is joined by Winslow Robertson and Owakhela Kankhwende to discuss their chapter of the book From Trump to Biden and Beyond: Reimagining U.S.-China Relations, entitled "U.S. Strategy Vis-À-Vis China's Presence in the African Continent: Description and Prescription". Winslow Robertson is a PhD student at IESE Business School at the University of Navarra, where he focuses on Chine

The Politics of Infrastructure Maintenance and Decay w/ The Roadwork Asia Project's Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi and Zarina Urmanbetova Jun 9, 2022 49:46 Juliet and Erik are joined by Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi and Zarina Urmanbetova of Roadwork Asia to discuss China's road infrastructure projects in Central Asia and their research at Roadwork Asia, including their article on infrastructural connections across the Toghuz-Toro district of central Kyrgystan Welcome and Unwelcome Connections: Travelling Post-Soviet Roads in Kyrgyzstan.Agnieszka Jonia

The Chinese Insurance Sector and the BRI with Margaret Myers May 10, 2022 32:13 Margaret Myers returns to The Belt and Road Podcast to speak with Erik about the role and development of China's international insurance sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. The conversation is based on her January 2022 report from The Dialogue entitled Going Out, Guaranteed: Chinese Insurers in Latin America. Margaret Myers is the director of the Asia & Latin America Program at th

Ammar Malik, China AidData, and the Data and Debate over Chinese Lending Apr 8, 2022 48:34 On this episode, Juliet and Erik speak to Dr. Ammar Malik about AidData’s Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset, Version 2.0. This dataset provides the most comprehensive data on China’s overseas development finance activities, covering projects over 18 commitment years (2000-2017). They discuss the trends and findings from the dataset, break down China’s overseas loans and the concept of ‘h

Cotton Diplomacy in Central Asia: Dr. Irna Hofman on China in Tajikistan and Beyond Mar 10, 2022 48:42 Just across the Xinjiang border, China is investing in a range of sectors. Infrastructure and road construction are booming as in many other places, but cotton investments dominate and are seen as a distinct type. Cotton is considered a strategic crop both to China and Tajikistan and is embedded in a range of elite networks and state power. Cotton Diplomacy is one of many things we cover in this e

A Systematic Analysis of International Chinese Contractors - w/ Hong Zhang Feb 2, 2022 1:01:28 On episode 51, Juliet and Erik welcome back Dr. Hong Zhang to discuss the history, interests, corporate structures and agency of International Chinese infrastructure contractors. Discussion is based on Hong Zhang's May 2021 working paper for SAIS-China Africa Research Initiative entitled: Chinese International Contractors in Africa: Structure and Agency. Hong Zhang is a Postdoctoral Fellow

Episode 50!! Grounded Understanding Within BRI / B3W "Competition" with Juliet & Erik Dec 15, 2021 1:02:31 Juliet and Erik celebrate their 50th episode by discussing their first co-authored article "Beyond Competition: Why the BRI and the B3W Can’t and Shouldn’t Be Considered Rivals" (Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung)On June 12, 2021, US President Biden along with the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) launched their own “positive alternative” to the BRI - the Build Back Better for the World (B3W) mul

How Do Chinese Firms Approach Overseas Investment Risk? w/ Alvin Camba Sep 28, 2021 51:30 On this episode Erik speaks with returning guest Dr. Alvin Camba about his latest research paper "How Chinese firms approach investment risk: strong leaders, cancellation, and pushback" (link to paper)This groundbreaking research uses hundreds of in-depth interviews with top officials from China, Chinese SOEs, state-owned banks as well as Philippine and Indonesian political and economic

The Continued Transformations of the Belt and Road Initiative w/ Jonathan Hillman Aug 16, 2021 39:29 On the episode, Juliet and Erik speak with Senior Fellow and Director of the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jonathan E. Hillman. Jon discusses the BRI in a historical context and talks about the way he's seen the BRI shift since its inception in 2013. The interview is based on Jon's 2020 book The Emperor's New Road: China and the P

Kristen Hopewell on Chinese Agricultural Trade, Emerging Powers, and the Battle Over Export Credit Jul 15, 2021 38:15 On this episode, Juliet talks with Dr. Kristen Hopewell, the Canada Research Chair in Global Policy in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. Also a Wilson China Fellow, Kristen's work sheds light on how international governing bodies like the WTO and OECD can influence and be influenced by growing Chinese agricultural trade, subsidies, and expor

The Belt and Road from Outer Space to Underground with Julie Klinger Jun 22, 2021 1:08:39 On this episode Juliet and Erik speak with Dr. Julie Klinger about her research that smartly connects the seemingly disparate topics of geological surveying, Chinese domestic environmental and social movements, international infrastructure investments and China-Africa space cooperation. It's a fascinating discussion that you certainly don't want to miss! Our interview is based on: 1) Ju

An In-Depth Look at the Environmental Implications of the $2bn Ghana - Sinohydro Bauxite for Infrastructure Deal with Terrence Neal and Dr. Elizabeth Losos Apr 25, 2021 47:34 In this episode, Erik is joined by Terrence Neal and Dr. Elizabeth Losos to discuss their recent report that uses Ghana's $2bn bauxite-for-infrastructure deal with Sinohydro as a case study to look into the environmental implications of BRI resource-financed infrastructure agreements. Read the full report here: "The Environmental Implications of China-Africa Resource-Finance Infrastructu

Kelly Chen on the Complexities of Politically Important Sovereign Debt Agreements within the BRI - A Case Study of the Laos-China Railway Mar 15, 2021 48:44 Juliet and Erik talk with research assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - Kelly Chen about her latest publication on the effects of Chinese infrastructure aid in Laos: hidden labor struggles, subcontracting, equity, and how it all came to a head with the Trans-Laos Railway project. Kelly dives into Chinese international lending, economic geographies, and narra

Margaret Myers on China's “Multi-tiered” Approach in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region Feb 23, 2021 52:26 On this episode, Juliet and Erik talk with Margaret Myers about the growing importance of Sub-national actors in China's geo-economic engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean. Read the entire report "Going Local: An Assessment of China's Administrative-Level Activity in Latin America and the Caribbean" hereMargaret Myers is the director of the Asia & Latin America Prog

Easy Money is Rarely Easy: Jessica Liao on Infrastructure Financing and Export Credit Agencies Jan 21, 2021 1:09:57 China is not the only player in the infrastructure investment game. So how does China's rising engagement under the Belt and Road intersect with investments of other countries? Jessica Liao shares multiple examples in which China's engagement in infrastructure investments, as well as in other areas of export investment management (e.g. export credit agencies), provoke competition with an

Harnessing Chinese Telecommunications Investments to Ethiopia's Benefit with Ding Fei Dec 31, 2020 33:51 Countries along the Belt and Road face major strategic technical and political questions when considering Chinese assistance in the telecommunications field. In this episode, Dr. DingFei discusses two articles on Chinese telecoms investments in Ethiopia. Through the lenses of Ethiopian state-Chinese company negotiations as well as employment practices, she explains how Ethiopian actors have corral

Who Decides and How Along the Belt and Road? with Thomas Hale & Johannes Urpelainen Dec 18, 2020 48:41 Who makes decisions about project approval, design, and the pursuit of sustainability - in China, in recipient countries, and beyond? A recent report entitled, 'Belt and Road Decision-making in China and Recipient Countries: How and To What Extent Does Sustainability Matter?' breaks this question down artfully to trace the interests and institutional structures shaping BRI projects. List

Lucille Greer on China's Various Engagements in the Middle East Nov 29, 2020 53:25 The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region is vitally important to China, particularly as a source of oil but also increasingly as a staging ground for China's forays into global politics. Lucille Greer (@Lucille_Greer_), an expert on China-MENA relations, sheds light on a range of topics from the role of Xinjiang in China's Islamic world relations to the 'strategic alliance&apo

China's Global Power Database: China's Global Power Plant Investments Data at Your Fingertips! Oct 28, 2020 39:30 China is a leader in global power generation - both through fossil fuel and clean energy technologies. Chinese capital has been involved in establishing at least 777 power plants across the world, providing 186.5 GW of power generation capacity. To track China's impact on global power generation, Boston University's Global China Initiative is launching "China's Global Power Dat

Without Dreams in Sihanoukville: Chinese and Cambodian Construction Labor Struggles Oct 12, 2020 54:15 Labor is a lightning rod for judgments of the benefits of the Belt and Road: Will Chinese projects generate work opportunities for the host country? Do Chinese employers follow different labor standards than others? When and how do workers speak out against poor labor conditions?Ivan Franceschini brings a few new angles to the labor question. He knows the domestic labor situation in China well, an

People-centered Power: Chinese Knowledge Production, Networks, and Training Programs in Africa - Lina Benabdallah Sep 20, 2020 54:19 Prof. Dr. Lina Benabdallah discusses her latest book, "Shaping the Future of Power: Knowledge production and network-building in China-Africa Relations." Lina looks at China's rise and the Belt and Road beyond the hardware investments - the major infrastructure projects which have been most emphasized. She compares three major types of professionalization interventions: military and

Green Development or Greenwashing? Tyler Harlan on China's Green Finance, Green Energy, and Green Cooperation Aug 27, 2020 44:49 In this episode, Dr. Tyler Harlan breaks down the discourses vs. reality of the green turn in the Belt and Road Initiative since Xi Jinping announced it in 2017. He describes the state of knowledge and realities of implementation of the three main aspects of the 'Green Belt and Road': green finance, green energy, and green development cooperation. He also reflects on his research on rura

How Chinese Capital Alters Center-Periphery Relations in Kenya - Elisa Gambino Jul 31, 2020 36:54 How does Chinese capital alter center-periphery relations in Kenya? Can peripheral groups have meaningful agency with Chinese state entities? Who determines, and what is considered "local" in local content agreements built into Chinese-financed infrastructure projects? On this Episode, Erik sits down Elisa Gambino to speak about her forthcoming paper entitled: "Chinese participation

The History of Ethnic Chinese Garment Manufacturing in South Africa - Dr. Xu Liang Jul 2, 2020 50:58 In this episode, Juliet and Erik sit down with Dr. Xu Liang from Peking University's School of International Studies to talk about his latest research that chronicles historical and modern-day ethnic Chinese garment production in Newcastle, South Africa. Dr. Xu Liang's latest article "Factory, family and industrial frontier: A Socioeconomic study of Chinese clothing firms in Newcast

Turning Off the Tap: Tensions between China and Downstream Neighbors over Dams and Drought May 28, 2020 59:46 After a year of record breaking drought, the Mekong River water has level reached a historical low. Continued water stress, which is likely due to climate change, will permanently change the ecology of the region and water stress is already impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the region dependent upon the river. Proponents of hydrological dam development along the Meko

The Complexities of a Chinese Dam Project in Ghana - Dr. Xiao Han May 13, 2020 38:45 On this episode, Erik speaks with Dr. Xiao Han on her latest work co-authored by Michael Webber - “From Chinese dam building in Africa to the Belt and Road Initiative: Assembling infrastructure projects and their linkages" that was published in the 77th volume of the journal of Political Geography.Dr. Xiao Han is a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Melboure’s Centre for Contempora

Trans-Himalayan Power Corridors: A Grounded Analysis of Nepal/China relations - Dr. Galen Murton Apr 21, 2020 44:43 On this episode, Erik and Juliet speak with Dr. Galen Murton - Assistant Professor at the School of Integrated Sciences at James Madison University - about how China is establishing infrastructure across one of the most unforgiving landscapes in the world. Along the border between Nepal and Tibet, transport and energy infrastructure development are transforming lives and forging a new paradigm of

Connectivity in the Time of COVID-19: Johan van de Ven on BRI Country Responses Mar 30, 2020 29:40 In the rapidly evolving context of a world impacted by the novel corona virus, Johan van de Ven discusses travel bans, material aid and donations, and border restrictions between China and Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. He focuses particularly on incidents of anti-Chinese discrimination in Moscow, material assistance to China given by countries from Thailand to Turkey, and stalls in C

Protests & Diplomacy in Central Asia: Shifting Roles of China, Russia, and Europe - Oyuna Baldakova Mar 17, 2020 31:19 Oyuna Baldakova, a PhD Candidate at the Free University of Berlin, shares her research on Chinese investment and Belt and Road developments in Russia (Lake Baikal, Siberia) and Central Asia. She explores how conflicting interests among local elites and domestic political leaders have fueled anti-Chinese sentiments and protests against BRI projects, as well as the implications of China's invol

Cross-Continental Connections: Disconnects and Mismatches along the China-Europe Freight Train Initiative - Dr. Linda Tjia Feb 14, 2020 37:59 Prof. Dr. Linda Tjia explains the costs and benefits, the links and disconnects, and the domestic and global implications of the China-Europe Freight Train Initiative which connects multiple areas of Western China through Central Asia all the way to Europe. Having worked in the railway sector before her academic career, Linda walks Erik and Juliet through Chongqing business dealings with HP, trade

China and the Taming of the Mighty Mekong - Brian Eyler Jan 24, 2020 40:54 Juliet discusses the book "Last Days of the Mighty Mekong" with author Brian Eyler, Senior Fellow and Director of The Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia Program. Brian shares insights into the development politics of China's (and other countries') hydropower dam construction, the environmental impacts of dams, and the resulting shifts in the day-to-day reality of lives of communit

Still Outsourcing Coal But Striving for Solar: Chinese Energy Investments in Cambodia - Lili pike Jan 9, 2020 34:02 In this episode, Erik talks with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellow at NYU Journalism Institute - Lili Pike about China's involvement in Cambodia's energy sector, including an incredible story of a private Chinese furniture manufacturer who bought a closed-down 600MW dirty coal plant from a Chinese SOE and is now moving it piece by piece to Cambodia Read Lili's China Dialogu

More Friends, Fewer Funds Along the BRI - Cecilia Joy-Perez Dec 10, 2019 28:23 More and more countries have signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative, but "the increase in political partners has not led to a comparable increase in commercial activity." Cecilia Joy Perez discusses contracting amounts of capital invested along the BRI despite expanding formal participation, which she attributes to shrinking foreign exchange reserves and shifts in the sectors

View From the Provinces: How Sub-National Politics Fuel Transnational Networks - Tim Summers Nov 13, 2019 38:07 Breaking from a dominant focus on national and international scales, Dr. Tim Summers discusses how the Belt and Road works through sub-national institutions, builds upon regional scale development models, and uses provincial trade and political networks within China to expand abroad. Dr. Tim Summers is faculty at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Centre for China Studies. Check out Tim&ap

Chinese Investment Through the Eyes of Mozambique's Elites - Lauren Baker Nov 3, 2019 36:06 On this episode of the Belt and Road Podcast, Erik Myxter-iino speaks with former MacroPolo Summer Associate Lauren Baker - about her article that looks at differing opinions of governmental and non-governmental elite opinion of Chinese investment in Mozambique. Read Lauren's article "Bridging Perceptions: China in Mozambique " here: https://macropolo.org/analysis/china-mozambique-

Soy and Sinophobia: China's Place in Brazilian Agribusiness - Gustavo Oliveira Oct 21, 2019 1:11:29 On episode 19, Dr. Gustavo Oliveira talks about Chinese agribusiness investments in Brazil, the rising importance of the soy trade between the two countries, and the ways domestic and international business interests have fanned the flames of Sinophobia for strategic gains. Dr. Oliveira is a Brazilian scholar and activist and an Assistant Professor of Global & International Studies at Universi

A Tale of Two Railroads: Financing Chinese-Built Trains in Kenya and Ethiopia - Yunnan Chen Sep 29, 2019 34:32 In this episode, Erik and Juliet interview Yunnan Chen (PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) about two Chinese-built railway projects, one in Kenya and one in Ethiopia. The comparison between the two cases provides reflections on how host countries negotiate over debt funding for infrastructural projects, and the logistical and cultural challenges the developers

Perceptions and Practices of Chinese Hydropower Investment in Vietnam and Myanmar - Nga Dao and Vanessa Lamb Sep 18, 2019 36:17 From Vietnam to Myanmar, how does criticism of Chinese investment serve local politics, and how does it distract from broader environmental struggles? The Belt and Road Podcast's new co-host Juliet Lu welcomes Vanessa Lamb and Nga Dao to discuss anti-Chinese sentiment in the hydropower sectors of Myanmar and Vietnam, highlighting some key contrasts in the histories of Chinese investment in ea

China’s New Debt Sustainability Framework - Ma Xinyue Sep 2, 2019 27:09 On episode 16 we introduce our new co-host Juliet Lu! Juliet and Erik speak with China Research and Project Leader at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University - Ma Xinyue about her latest work on the PandaPaw DragonClaw blog “Assessing China’s Most Comprehensive Response to the “debt trap”: the Belt and Road ‘Debt Sustainability Framework’ https://pandapawdragonclaw.blog/2019/07/1

How China is Changing the Development Financing Project Cycle in Latin America - Rebecca Ray Aug 6, 2019 39:07 On episode 15, Erik Myxter-iino talks with Postdoctoral Fellow at the Global Development and Policy Center at Boston University - Dr. Rebecca Ray Rebecca was one of the co-authors of a new report published in part by BU’s GDP center - China and the Amazon: Toward a Framework for Maximizing Benefits and Mitigating Risks of Infrastructure Development. linkWe talk about how Chinese developmental fin

How Chinese Capital Alters the Calculation for Coal in Kenya - Michael Boulle Jul 18, 2019 31:03 On this episode, Erik speaks with Michael Boulle - Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Cape Town and Senior Researcher at the Cape Town-based consultancy - Change pathways. We discuss his latest paper - The Hazy Rise of Coal in Kenya: The actors, interests, and discursive contradictions shaping Kenya’s electricity future that is featured in Volume 56 of the Energy Research and Social Science Jour

Chinese State-Backed and Flexible Capital in the Philippines - Alvin Camba May 2, 2019 29:15 On this episode, Erik Myxter-iino has a conversation with Sociology Ph.D. Candidate at Johns Hopkins University Alvin Camba about his soon-to-be-published work - Reexamining China and South-South Relations: Chinese State-backed and Flexible Private Capitals in the Philippines.In it, Alvin analyzes the different types of Chinese capitals and how they interact with different political eras in the Ph

Kazakhstan and the Belt and Road Initiative - Assel Bitabarova Apr 23, 2019 31:18 This week's #beltandroadpod is all about #Kazakhstan - @emyxter spoke with PhD Candidate at Hokkaido University - Assel Bitabarova @BitabarAssel on how Kazakhstan is interacting with the Belt and Road, Chinese financing and construction of Kazakhstani infrastructure, and more.The podcast is based on Assel's latest writing in the Journal of Contemporary East Asian Studies, entitled: Unpac

Is the Belt and Road Initiative a 'Grand Strategy'? with Dr. Lee Jones Apr 3, 2019 34:31 On the 10th episode of the Belt and Road Podcast, Erik sits down with Dr. Lee Jones to discuss his latest co-authored work with Zeng Jinghan in Third World Quarterly entitled: "Understanding China's Belt and Road Initiative: Beyond 'grand strategy' to a state transformation analysis". Dr. Lee Jones is a Reader in international politics in the School of Politics and Interna

The Push and Pull Factors for Chinese Energy Investments in SE Asia with Courtney Weatherby Mar 25, 2019 27:15 On this episode Courtney Weatherby - a research analyst with the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, & Sustainability programs - discusses the different push and pull factors that have made China become involved with nearly a quarter of all energy projects in SE Asia, including an estimated 43% of all coal projects. Furthermore we look at what China and ASEAN countries can do to

Comparing the New Chinese and American Development Finance Agencies w/ Scott Wingo Mar 4, 2019 33:41 2018 saw the creation of two new high-profile development finance agencies. In China there was the creation of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, and in America the International Finance Development Corporation. On this episode, I speak with UPenn Ph.D. student Scott Wingo about his latest article “Too Much Risk or Not Enough? New Development Finance Agencies in China and the

Chinese 'Land Grabs' in Laos - Juliet Lu Feb 18, 2019 40:35 On this episode Juliet Lu - Ph.D Candidate in the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley - is on the show to talk about her recent research on Chinese SOE and private firm land investment in Northern Laos. Our discussion stems from her years of extensive fieldwork in Northern Laos talking with Chinese investors, Laotian officials and locals on their experience w

Road Tripping Along the 'New Silk Road' - Charles Stevens Jan 29, 2019 27:34 On this episode I interview Charles Stevens, who as part of the New Silk Road Project (www.newsilkroadproject.com) traveled over 10,000 miles on the "Silk Road Economic Belt" in a Jeep. Along the way he interviewed different local and Chinese stakeholders who are building, analyzing and using the new Chinese financed and built infrastructure. If you are looking for more on-the-ground sto

The Challenges to Greening the Belt and Road - A Case Study of Myanmar featuring Nicholas Lo Jan 9, 2019 44:11 On this episode, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies master student Nicholas Lo talks about his field work that looked at Chinese infrastructure and natural resource investments in Myanmar, and how Chinese capital can bring specific challenges and some potential gains, to creating sustainable development outcomes in the country. This episode is based on Nicholas' article for the

Chinese Infrastructure Building and its Effects on Economic Development - A Case Study in Mozambique featuring Ulrikke Wethal Oct 5, 2018 33:06 This episode features the dynamic researcher from the Centre for Development and the Environment at the University of Oslo - Ulrikke Wethal The topic of discussion comes from her latest article:Beyond the China Factor: Challenges to backwards linkages in the Mozambican construction sector from the June 2018 edition of the Journal of Modern African Studies Recommendations: Ulrikke: 1) Johns Hopkins

3: A History of the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka - The Importance of Chinese State Owned Enterprises and Host Country Elite Politics in the Belt and Road - Xiao'Ou Zhu Aug 20, 2018 42:00 In our third episode, I am excited to feature international development consultant Xiao'Ou Zhu. Before every newspaper was using the Hambantota Port as the fearful case of China using "debt diplomacy" Xiao'Ou was doing the on-the-ground fieldwork using China Harbour's Engineering Group's role in the creation of the port as a case showing how important Chinese State Ow

How the Western Media Frames the Belt and Road - Tom Baxter Aug 9, 2018 23:38 On our second episode Tom Baxter - who works in communications and focuses on the environmental impacts of Belt and Road investments at Greenpeace East Asia in Beijing - talks about his latest article for the blog Panda Paw Dragon Claw “Zooming in, Zooming out: the Frames Through Which Western Media See Belt and Road” https://pandapawdragonclaw.blog/2018/07/27/zooming-in-zooming-out-the-frames-thr

Chinese Sports Tourism and the Belt and Road Initiative with Emily Weinstein Jul 29, 2018 24:25 On the inaugural episode of The Belt and Road Podcast, host Erik Myxter-iino brings on Emily Weinstein, a research analyst at Pointe Bellow. Emily talks about her piece featured on the Jamestown Foundation's website "The Belt and Road Initiative: A road to China's World Cup Dreams?" which talks about the BRI and its relation to Sports Tourism and the World CupEmily's Recom

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