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China and the Caucasus: New Partnerships and Regional Implications

The panel by the Columbia University Weatherhead East Asian Institute brings together a distinguished group of academics and political observers of the Caucasus to analyze China’s regional priorities and emerging strategy.

When:
January 24, 2017 5:00pm to 7:00pm
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Speakers
Lincoln Mitchell, Political Commentator and Georgian Politics Expert
Emil Sanamyan, Washington DC-based Writer and Commentator on Eurasian Politics
Michael Cecire, Columnist, Business New Europe and Fellow at New America
Moderated by Julie George, Associate Professor of Political Science, Queens College CUNY
 
Time and Location
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
601B Pulitzer Hall
No registration required.
 
Co-sponsored by the Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies
 
Over the last decade, China has dramatically increased its engagement with the South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Regional trade with China has grown exponentially, while China will further increase its investments in the region’s most important infrastructure as part of its Belt and Road initiative.
 
The panel brings together a distinguished group of academics and political observers of the Caucasus to analyze China’s regional priorities and emerging strategy: What are Chinese economic and security goals in the region and what are its instruments of engagement? How will Chinese engagement affect the domestic and foreign policies of these states, including the region’s unraveled conflicts? And does China represent a substantial alternative to the region’s current attempts to navigate between Russia and the West?