Increasingly, in western public debates it has figured prominently the possibility that China might expand with an ever more assertive foreign policy and even militarily. At the same time, Chinese political elites have expressed concerns about the development of US-led initiatives in the region.

This presentation discusses current issues concerning China in the Indo-Pacific region and regional trends.

In particular, the presentation reflects on questions such as “is China expanding?”; “through what lenses should we look at China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific?”; “can we consider China’s current foreign policy in isolation from the War in Ukraine?” Furthermore, the presentation will delve into China’s perception of what defines as the US Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The presentation concludes reflecting on the eventual return to spheres of influence, and on the centrality of middlpowers in mitigating frictions between vectors of competition.

This event is online.

Speakers

Professor Christophe Jaffrelot

Christophe Jaffrelot is Avantha Chair and Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at the King's India Institute and also the Research Lead for the Global Institutes, King’s College London. He teaches South Asian politics and history at Sciences Po, Paris and is an Overseas Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was Director of Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI) at Sciences Po, between 2000 and 2008.

Dr Zeno Leoni

Zeno Leoni is a Lecturer in ‘Challenges to the International Order' at the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London, based within the Joint Services and Staff College (JSCSC) of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He is also an affiliate to the Lau China Institute of King's College London, where he is co-convenor of the same institute’s policy brief series named China in the World.

Mauro Bonavita

Mauro Bonavita is a PhD student in the King's India Institute, with his research focusing on Indian foreign policy and the Indo-Pacific region. Mauro is a political scientist, he obtained his BA from the University of Genova and his MA in Geopolitics and Strategic Studies from the University Carlos III of Madrid.

Mauro has worked both in India and in Europe in the field of journalism, in the internationalization of Indian private universities, in exchange programs between Indian and European students, in the vibrant world of Indian start-ups.