On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, NBR will host a public panel discussion on “China’s Growing Energy and Geopolitical Impact in Xi Jinping’s New Era.” The event will also mark the launch of NBR’s 2017 Energy Security Program report “Asia’s Energy Security and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.”

Xi Jinping has elevated himself as the country’s most powerful leader in decades, enshrining “Xi Jinping Thought” into the Chinese Communist Party’s constitution and promising to propel China toward a “new era” of great-power status. As a part of Xi’s grand strategy, much of China’s economic and diplomatic engagement is being grouped under the highly touted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which envisions a vast expansion of Chinese investment, trade, and diplomacy across the Eurasian continent and through the adjacent sea lanes.

From an energy security perspective, Xi’s grand strategy will have substantial implications for future trade, investment, and geopolitical dynamics across Eurasia. China is already pouring billions of dollars into energy, economic, and infrastructure projects meant to boost regional growth and connectivity, while cementing the country as the political and economic center of the Eurasian continent. China is also expanding the capabilities of its blue water navy and investing heavily in ports throughout the Indo-Pacific, which will have important security implications for maritime Asia. In light of these developments and complex issues, this high-level event will examine China’s growing energy and geopolitical power under Xi’s “new era” style of rule.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP here.