Carnegie’s Vikram Nehru will analyze how Chinese economic interests and investment in the region is reshaping Southeast Asia. Zhao Kejin will then moderate a discussion between Nehru and Tang Xiaoyang, who will serve as a discussant.

Wednesday, December 17, 2pm-4pm
“Investment and Economic Development in Southeast Asia”
Vikram Nehru, Senior Associate, Carnegie Asia Program
Zhao Kejin, Resident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center
Tang Xiaoyang, Resident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center
Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy
Unisplendour International Center | Free | Open to Public | Registration

Over 90 percent of Chinese trade is conducted through maritime shipping lanes, particularly in Southeast Asia. China has pledged generous support for infrastructure investment in the region through its Maritime Silk Road initiative. One such proposal, the Kra Isthmus canal in Thailand, has potential to shorten shipping routes and substantially lower global crude oil prices. Development projects, along with the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, are likely to feature heavily in in the region’s ongoing growth.

Carnegie’s Vikram Nehru will analyze how Chinese economic interests and investment in the region is reshaping Southeast Asia. Zhao Kejin will then moderate a discussion between Nehru and Tang Xiaoyang, who will serve as a discussant.

Vikram Nehru is a senior associate in the Carnegie Asia Program. An expert on development economics, growth, poverty reduction, debt sustainability, governance, and the performance and prospects of East Asia, his research focuses on the economic, political, and strategic issues confronting Asia, particularly Southeast Asia.

Zhao Kejin is a resident scholar at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center and deputy director of Tsinghua’s center for U.S.-China relations. An expert on U.S. government and politics, comparative politics, political marketing, and Chinese diplomatic institutions, Zhao runs a program on China’s public diplomacy. Zhao is also an associate professor in the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University.

Tang Xiaoyang is a resident scholar at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy and an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. His research interests include political philosophy, China’s modernization process, and China’s engagement in Africa.

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