New Delhi [India], September 27 : The Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA), a New Delhi-based think-tank, held an international academic conference that witnessed the participation of practitioners studying in China in large numbers.
The Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS) took place on September 25-26 in the national capital.
The theme was Beijing’s Superpower Ambitions in the ‘New Era’. The speakers discussed a variety of topics related to China in great depth and detail, ranging from Chinese foreign policy across regions, China’s military modernization, the future of the India-China border dispute, Chinese intelligence services, China’s military footprint in the Indo-Pacific and East Asia and the future of elite politics under Xi Jinping, the post-event press release of the conference read.
Notably, the conference had around 60 speakers, including internationally reputed scholars like Dr Lance LiangpingGore (Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore), Prof. HideshiTokuchi(President, ResearchInstituteforPeaceandSecurity), Dr LiNan(VisitingSeniorResearchFellow, EastAsian Institute), Neil Thomas (Fellow, Center for China Analysis, Asia Society Policy Institute), Dr Johan Lagerkvist (Professor of Chinese Language, Stockholm University), Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi(Former Eastern Army Commander, Indian Army), Mr Lucas Myers (Senior Associate for South-EastAsia, Wilson Center).
Indian diplomat Ashok Kantha (Former Indian Ambassador to China), Dr Shinji Yamaguchi(Senior Research Fellow, NIDS), JayadevaRanade(President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy), Dr JagannathPanda(Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-PacificAffairs, ISDP, Sweden), Dr RupaChanda (Director, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, UNESCAP), Dr BaliDeepak (Professor, Center for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, JNU) and Claude Arpi (Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University) were also present at the conference.
The opening address was delivered by Indian Diplomat Shyam Saran (Former Foreign Secretary of India), who detailed the political thinking that directs Chinese foreign policy to prioritise hierarchy to achieve harmony. Ambassador Saran detailed the transition of China’s rise, from benign to one that is characterised by a more assertive and provocative posture, according to the press release.
He emphasised the need to relate China’s domestic developments to its foreign policy and posture on the global stage. The first session titled ‘How China Sees the World’ decoded Beijing’s foreign policy and diplomatic efforts around the world, with scholars identifying the key principles driving foreign policy practice across regions at the bilateral and multilateral levels.
At the conference, the opening keynote of the Session was given by Dr.Lance Liangping Gore who detailed the foreign policy apparatus in China, its bureaucratic approach to decision-making and how agencies interpret and implement Party guidelines. The second session on ‘How China Keeps Itself – and Its Interests – Safe’ analysed the strategies and policies deployed to project and enhance Chinese military power, with a focus on technologies in the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific.
Notably, the dominance of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises in military modernization and their impact on the balance of power across the India-China border was examined by practitioners from all three services of the Indian armed forces. The discussion deduced that the border dispute is nowhere near its logical end and that India should prepare for the long haul. The special address by Claude Arpi delved into the role of Tibet and Buddhism in the India-China equation and the special panel on the significance of India in the Quad represented the views of all four Quad countries.
The conference focused on Beijing’s manoeuvres in advancing its economic interests through BRI projects and maintaining its dominance in global supply chains on Day 2. Panelists assessed Chinese strategies deployed to arrest the diversification of supply chains away from China and expressed the need for India and ASEAN to collectively counter China’s global dominance.
The speakers at the conference also covered a wide range of technological applications in the Chinese economy, specifically in smart manufacturing, renewable energy and 5G networks.
The final session on ‘How the Prince Governs China: Between Policy and Politics’ described the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) methods of expanding its authority through its intelligence services as well as delved into policy implementation at the provincial level.
Mr Jayadeva Ranade delivered a keynote address on the networks and tactics of Chinese intelligence services and the significance of the United Front Work Department employed over the last few decades to manage dissent and politics in China, the Press release read.
The last keynote address of GCNS was given by Neil Thomas. He ideated that Xi Jinping is not likely to choose his successor in the near future to avoid a potential power struggle between factions in the CPC.
The GCNS witnessed an audience of over 200 people each day, with attendees comprising the think tank community, university professors, former members of India’s diplomatic corps and armed forces, embassy officials, students and members of the media. The GCNS is the flagship annual event of ORCA and the organisation plans to make it the largest gathering of sinologists in India.
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