China's Belt and Road Initiative has attracted much interest since its first announcement by Xi Jinping in 2013. This conference seeks to focus attention on the linkages between the economic and geo-strategic/security implications of this ambitious idea. The Royal Society for Asian Affairs, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Lau China Institute of King's College London have brought together a group of recognised international experts in both the economic and geo-strategic implications of China's proposals and the responses of other countries to them. 

Speakers include:

Dr Shirley Yu, King's College London

Prof Wang Yi-Wei, Renmin University Beijing

Arif Rafiq, Middle East Institute, Washington DC

James Schwemlein, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Nadege Rolland, National Bureau of Asian Reseach, Washington DC

Dr Chun-Yi Lee, Nottingham University

Raffaello Pantucci, Royal United Services Institute

Prof Nalanda Roy, Georgia Southern University

The conference will be chaired by Prof Kerry Brown, Lau China Institute, KCL and Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director Asia, Wilson Center.  The proceedings will be published in Asian Affairs in 2019.