The New Great Game? China’s Investment Model in the Developing World

China’s international investments have increased rapidly over the past decade, expanding from a narrow focus on natural resources and construction to real estate, finance, brands, and service industries. Much of this international investment has been spearheaded by state-owned enterprises, which operate under both market and political logic. Are China’s investment patterns distinct from international investment norms in either form or strategy? How does investment by its state-owned enterprise serve national goals? Do China’s development and investment model impact traditional western development models? What are the impacts on governance and democratic institutions in recipient nations?

Speakers:

• David Barboza, Correspondent, New York Times
• Deborah Brautigam, Director of the China Africa Research Initiative, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
• André Soares, Counselor at the Board of Directors, Inter-American Development Bank
• Sun Yun, Senior Associate with the East Asia Program, Stimson Center
• Andrew Wilson, Executive Director, Center for International Private Enterprise (discussion moderator)

Watch the video:

Speaker Bios:

• David Barboza is a correspondent for The New York Times, based in New York. He became a staff writer for The New York Times in 1997, and also served as the paper’s Shanghai bureau chief from 2008 to 2015. In 2013, Mr. Barboza was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting “for his striking exposure of corruption at high levels of the Chinese government, including billions in secret wealth owned by relatives of the prime minister, well-documented work published in the face of heavy pressure from the Chinese officials.”
• Deborah Brautigam is the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the International Development Program (IDEV), and the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. Her most recent book, Will Africa Feed China? (Oxford University Press, 2015), sheds light on the contrast between realities, and the conventional wisdom, on Chinese agricultural investment in Africa. She is also the author of The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2010).
• Andre Soares is a Counselor at the Inter-American Development Bank’s board of Directors. Before joining the board, Mr. Soares served as a Trade Economist to the Integration and Trade Department of IDB on projects related to China-Latin American trade and economic relations. He also acted as Research Coordinator for the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC), where he was involved in restructuring CBBC’s research area, which is now considered an international reference in the field.
• Sun Yun is a Senior Associate with the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations and China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes. From 2011 to early 2014, she focused on Chinese national security decision-making processes and China-Africa relations, appointed by the Foreign Policy Program and the Global Development Program. From 2008 to 2011, she was the China Analyst for the International Crisis Group based in Beijing, specializing in China’s foreign policy towards conflict countries and the developing world.
• Andrew Wilson is the Executive Director of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, DC. Prior to assuming the role as head of the organization, Wilson was Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Programs, where he oversaw staff efforts to develop and implement program strategies, coordinate internal proposal development, monitor knowledge management activities, and manage relationships with donors. Previously, he was the Regional Director for Europe, Eurasia, and South Asia at CIPE, where he directed grant and technical assistance programs to the aforementioned regions and coordinated CIPE’s corporate governance efforts across the globe. Working with CIPE he has extensive experience in dealing with private sector development issues in conflict and post-conflict settings, crafting successful business strategies to reduce corruption, encouraging entrepreneurship development, strengthening business advocacy, and the promotion of economic reform. He is currently a co-chair of the Private Sector Council at the Open Government Partnership (OGP).