25-26
September 2023 The Grand, New Delhi
The theme of ORCA's Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS) 2023 is Beijing's Superpower Ambitions in the 'New Era'
At the 19th National Party Congress, Party Secretary Xi Jinping announced the beginning of a 'new era' which was to be driven by 'socialism with Chinese characteristics'. The 20th National Party Congress has seen that mandate renewed amidst Xi's international, regional, and domestic ambitions to build China into a global superpower - and the CPC into a global 'super-party'. Countries across the world see this ambition with alarm, especially as China inches closer to creating an alternative global order, a pax-Sinica to replace pax-Americana. With China attempting to facilitate a transition from great power to superpower in an increasingly multipolar world, signs of this ambitious transition are visible in China's domestic and international posturing. To glean how China is preparing for the 'new era', this conference will bring together the finest minds in Sinology to analyse the trajectory of China's rise and its path to superpower status. The conference will cover how Beijing's assertive foreign policy is evolving to secure its numerous interests around the world while projecting a benign image of itself. It will also explore how inner workings of the party that influence provincial governance and elite politics will guide China's engagement with the international system. As China's economy rediscovers the road to recovery, the conference will explore the ways in which economies can manage the complexities of trade and investment with China while looking for alternatives to Chinese manufacturing. China's military - one of the most critical variables in China's superpower ambitions - will be studied to examine the potential for conflict and confrontation.The Global Conference on New Sinology will bring experts of all ages, from diverse academic backgrounds and around the world, to New Delhi for an objective and comprehensive assessment of China's superpower ambitions and responses to Beijing's hegemonic rise.
(Open All Day)
- By Ms. Eerishika Pankaj, Head of Research and Operations Director at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
- Amb. Shyam Saran, Former Foreign Secretary of India; former Chairman of National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and current President of India International Centre (IIC)
Topic | Navigating India's Way Amidst Beijing's Global Ambitions
Break for Morning Tea
- Dr. Lance Liangping Gore, Senior Research Fellow, the East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore (NUS)
Topic | What Role Does the Party Apparatus Play in Foreign Policy-Making in China?
- Moderated by Professor S.D. Muni, Professor Emeritus at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Opening Remarks: South Asia and Xi's Wolf Warrior Diplomacy | Closing Remarks: Common Threads Guiding Chinese Foreign Policy across Regions - Dr. Swasti Rao, Associate Fellow at the Europe and Eurasia Center, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA)
Topic | China's Balancing Act on Europe: Between Cooperation and Competition? - Dr. Anuradha Chenoy, Former Dean at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, (JNU) New Delhi
Topic | A New Foray into an Old Backyard: Creating Eurasia with Chinese Characteristics - Dr. Renu Modi, Former Director of the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai
Topic | Chinese and Indian Charm Offensive in Africa - Mr. Kabir Taneja, Fellow with the Strategic Studies program at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi
Topic | China's Evolving Peace Diplomacy in West Asia: Advancing Interests and Cultivating Image - Dr. Temjenmeren Ao, Associate Fellow in the Southeast Asia & Oceania Centre at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA)
Topic | China's Smart Power Strategy in Southeast Asia - Professor Hideshi Tokuchi, President, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS)
Topic | Caution and Contention: China's Northeast and East Asian Foreign Policy Ambitions - Dr. Johan Lagerkvist, Professor of Chinese Language and Culture and Director, Stockholm Center for Global Asia, Stockholm University
Topic | Domestic Drivers of Chinese Foreign Policy-making
- Moderated by Amb. Manjeev Singh Puri, Former Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN
Opening Remarks: China's Revision of Existing Institutional Rules and Multilateral Norms | Closing Remarks: Creation of China-led Institutionalism - Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP), Sweden
Topic | Between Order and World Order: China's Drive for the Post-Bretton Woods Institutions - Dr. Swaran Singh, Professor for Diplomacy and Disarmament at Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament (CIPOD), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, (JNU) New Delhi.
Topic | Designed to Appeal: The Global South as Audience and Buyer - Mr. Lucas Myers, Senior Associate for Southeast Asia at the Asia Program, Wilson Center, Washington DC
Topic | Beijing's Systemic Confrontation with North America: Pax Sinica vs Pax Americana
Break for Lunch
- Moderated by Mr. Nitin Gokhale, Founder of StratNewsGlobal and BharatShakti
Opening and Closing Remarks: Xi's Emphasis on Developing Indigenous Industrial Capabilities for the Defence Sector - Dr. Amrita Jash, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)
Topic | The Party's Army: CMC and its Aspirations for the PLA - Dr. Manpreet Sethi, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi and Senior Research Advisor, APLN
Topic | Strategic Support and Rocket Force in China's Security Calculus - Dr. Li Nan, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Topic | Backbone of Warfighting: The Industries Modernising China's Armed Forces - Air Marshal M Matheswaran, Founder Chairman and President of The Peninsula Foundation (TPF)
Topic | Modernising the Dragon's Flight: PLAAF in the 2027 Centennial - Capt. Kamlesh Agnihotri, Senior Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF)
Topic | Tracking China's Naval Modernisation: Capacity vs Capability
- Moderated by Amb. Biren Nanda, Former High Commissioner to Australia, ASEAN, and Indonesia, and Senior Fellow for Act East Diplomacy, Delhi Policy Group
Opening Remarks: Strongman Politics and Populist Leadership Styles: Impact on Border | Closing Remarks: Situating the India-China Border Dispute in China's Territorial Claims - Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, Former Eastern Army Commander & Distinguished Fellow, United Services Institution of India
Topic | Infrastructure Contours: Road to Parity along the LAC - Cmde. R. Seshadri Vasan (Retd.), Director General, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) & Regional Director, National Maritime Foundation (NMF)
Topic | Extra-Regional Factors Influencing the Border Dispute: From Quad to Taiwan and Beyond - Air Marshal Anil Chopra, Director General of Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS)
Topic | Tipping the Scales: IAF's Role in Securing Borders - Amb. Ashok Kantha, Former Ambassador of India to China
Topic | Offering Reciprocity, Countering Asymmetry: The Next Five Years
- Moderated by Cmde. C. Uday Bhaskar, Director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS)
Opening Remarks: PLAN's Emerging Tech Maritime-Military Footprint | Closing Remarks: Implications of Beijing Re-shaping the Maritime Security Architecture using Technology - Cmde. Anil Jai Singh, Vice President and Head-Delhi branch, Indian Maritime Foundation and Senior Vice President, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems India
Topic | Indian Ocean Region - Technology in China's Maritime Power Projection - Intelligence Gathering with Submarines, Surveillance Activity with Ships -Subsea Internet Cables - Dr. Shinji Yamaguchi, Senior Research Fellow in the Regional Studies Department of the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Ministry of Defense, Japan
Topic | Chinese Activities in South China Sea, East China Sea, Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Straits - A2D2 - Hybrid Warfare - Net-centric warfare - C4
Break for Evening Tea
- Mr. Claude Arpi, Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University (SNU), Delhi
Topic | Tibet and Buddhism in the India-China Complexities
- Moderated by Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP), Sweden.
Opening Remarks: India's Expectations of the Quad | Closing Remarks: The Challenges Within and Prospects for the Future - Mr. Neil Thomas, Fellow for Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute's (ASPI) Center for China Analysis
Topic | India in US's Quad Paradigm - Amb. Biren Nanda, Former High Commissioner to Australia, ASEAN, and Indonesia, and Senior Fellow for Act East Diplomacy, Delhi Policy Group
Topic | India in Australia's Quad Paradigm - Prof. Hideshi Tokuchi, President, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS)
Topic | India in Japan's Quad Paradigm - Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies, Bhubaneshwar, India
Topic | China's Responses to Quad: Past Present and Future
Break for Dinner
(Open All Day)
- Moderated by Dr. Rajat Kathuria, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNU), Delhi NCR
Opening Remarks: 10-year Anniversary of the BRI Project: What Has it Meant for the World? | Closing Remarks: Future of BRI Under Xi: The Next 5 Years - Mr. Lucas Myers, Senior Associate for Southeast Asia at the Asia Program, Wilson Center, Washington DC
Topic | Strategic Implications of BRI Projects in India's Neighbourhood: Case Study of Myanmar - Ms. Namrata Hasija, Research Fellow with the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS), New Delhi
Topic | Extended Arms of Influence: Health, Digital, Arctic and More - Mr. Sanjay Pulipaka, Chairperson of the Politeia Research Foundation
Topic | The Leverage of Development Finance: Influencing Recipient Countries - Dr. Lance Liangping Gore, Senior Research Fellow, the East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore (NUS)
Topic | Domestic Actors of Global BRI
Break for Morning Tea
- Moderated by Dr. Madhu Bhalla, Former Professor and Head of the Department of East Asian Studies, Delhi University
Topic | Opening Remarks: Appraisal of the 'China Plus One' | Closing Remarks: Realistic Solutions to Emerging as a Sustainable Alternative to China - Dr. D. Sunitha Raju, Professor of Economics and Chairperson (Research), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
Topic | Protecting Its Own: How China is Preparing Against Diversification - Mr. Konark Bhandari, Fellow with Carnegie India
Topic | Levelling the Field: Holistic Approaches to Global Semiconductor Supply Chains - Dr. Rupa Chanda, Director of Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, UNESCAP
Topic | Evaluating India's Stake in the China Plus One Strategy: Make in India, PLI and SCRI - Amb. Ujal Singh Bhatia, India's Former Permanent Representative to the WTO
Topic | Gaining at China's Expense: Trade Pacts in South-East Asia's Opportunity - Dr. S. P. Sharma, Chief Economist and Deputy Secretary General at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi
Topic | An Industrialist's Perspective: Practical Challenges to Decoupling
- Moderated by Mr. M. R. Sivaraman IAS (Retd), Vice President, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) & Former Revenue Secretary, Govt. of India.
Opening Remarks: Technological Self-reliance in 'Sanctions Proofing' the Chinese Economy | Closing Remarks: Implications of Self-sufficiency Efforts for Economic Growth - Capt. (Dr.) Nitin Agarwala, Senior Fellow, Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), New Delhi
Topic | Indigenous Developments in China's Smart Manufacturing: MIC 2025 - Ms. Lydia Powell, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
Topic | The Race Towards Self-Sufficiency: From Solar to Lithium - Dr. Aravind Yelery, Associate Professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topic | Crackdown on Chinese Tech Companies: Reining in the Digital Economy - Amb. Smita Purushottam, India's former Ambassador to Venezuela, Switzerland and Founder of Science, Indigenous Technology and Advanced Research Accelerator (SITARA)
Topic | China's Indigenisation and Standardisation of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure: The Case of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
- Moderated by Amb. Venu Rajamony, Professor of Diplomatic Practice at the O.P. Jindal Global University and former Ambassador of India to the Netherlands
Opening Remarks: Beyond a Western Lens: Conceptualising the New Age of Indian Sinology | Closing Remarks: Stronger Bonds: Integrating Academia and Policy Making - Dr. Usha Chandran, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topic | Knowing China Through the Chinese Language - Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Faculty Member at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi and Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi
Topic | Integrating Interdisciplinary Research Methodologies in the Study of China - Dr. Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor at Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
Topic | Beyond the Popular Narratives: Study of Provincial China - Dr. Sriparna Pathak, Associate Professor and the Director of the Centre for Northeast Asa Studies at the School of International Affairs of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU)
Topic | Reading Between the Lines: Effective Use of Secondary Sources amidst Tense Ties
Break for Lunch
- Moderated by Mr. Jayadeva Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS) and Member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)
Opening Remarks: How to go about Predicting | Closing Remarks: How Party Politics will Evolve in the Face of Greater Personalisation of Rule - Dr. Li Nan, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Topics |
• Party Control over Military
• External Factors Affecting Internal Behaviour,
• CMC Posturing in Conflict Areas - Taiwan, South China Sea
• Civil-Military Relations - Dr. B. R. Deepak, Professor of Chinese and China Studies at the Centre of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topics |
• Party Personnel and Politburo
• Reviewing X's New Economics Team
• Comparison between 2nd and 3rd term
• Anti-corruption Campaign
• Constitutional Changes
• Personalistic Rule
• Factions
• Technocracy
- Mr. Jayadeva Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS) and Member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)
Topic | Networks, Personnel, and Tactics of CIS (Chinese Intelligence Services)
- Moderated by Dr. T. G. Suresh, Associate Professor at Centre for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Opening and Closing Remarks: Provincial Challenges Awaiting China - Dr. Aravind Yelery, Associate Professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topic | Balancing Private and State-Owned Enterprises at the Provincial Level - Dr. Bhim Subba, Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad
Topic | Signalling Loyalty: How Local Leaders are becoming Risk-Averse - Dr. Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor at Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topic | Rural Development to Tackle the Demographic Crisis: A Provincial Lens - Dr. Hemant Adlakha, Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, School of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Topic | Civil Society, Censorship and Managing Public Opinion in Provinces
- Mr. Neil Thomas, Fellow for Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute's (ASPI) Center for China Analysis
Topic | Continuation – or Departure – from the Supremo's Legacy
- By Ms. Eerishika Pankaj, Head of Research and Operations Director at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
Break for Tea
Who's Speaking
Our speakers for ORCA's Global Conference on New Sinology 2023
Dr. Jagannath Panda
Mr. Claude Arpi
Amb. Shyam Saran
Amb. Ashok Kantha
Dr. B. R. Deepak
Dr. Anuradha Chenoy
Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi
Mr. Jayadeva Ranade
Dr. Aravind Yelery
Dr. Manpreet Sethi
Dr. Shinji Yamaguchi
Cmd. C. Uday Bhaskar
Dr. Swaran Singh
Amb. Smita Purushottam
Dr. Hemant Adlakha
Air Marshal M Matheswaran
Dr. Ritu Agarwal
Dr. Sriparna Pathak
Mr. Sanjay Pulipaka
Air Marshal Anil Chopra
Capt. Kamlesh Agnihotri
Dr. Rupa Chanda
Mr. Neil Thomas
Dr. Renu Modi
Dr. Madhu Bhalla
Prof. Hideshi Tokuchi
Ms. Lydia Powell
Amb. Ujal Singh Bhatia
Dr. Li Nan
Dr. Amrita Jash
Dr. Jabin Jacob
Dr. Rajiv Ranjan
Mr. Nitin Gokhale
Dr. D. Sunitha Raju
Dr. Bhim Subba
Dr. S. P. Sharma
Dr. Swasti Rao
Ms. Namrata Hasija
Mr. Kabir Taneja
Mr. Lucas Myers
Dr. T. G. Suresh
Mr. Konark Bhandari
Prof. S.D. Muni
Dr. Johan Lagerkvist
Dr. Rajat Kathuria
Dr. Usha Chandran
Dr. Temjenmeren Ao
Amb. Venu Rajamony
Commodore R. Seshadri Vasan (Retd.)
Mr. M R Sivaraman IAS (Retd)
Cmde. Anil Jai Singh
Dr. Lance Liangping Gore
Amb. Biren Nanda
Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra
Amb. Manjeev Singh Puri
Capt. (Dr.) Nitin Agarwala
Media
View the work of ORCA's GCNS 2023 Media below.
Partners
View the work of ORCA's GCNS 2023 Partners below.
Digital Partner
KWAD is a software consulting firm that specializes in web-app, iOS & Android mobile application design and website development.
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Content Partner
The Memo is a digital platform that provides the latest insights into forces shaping business and politics globally.
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Research and Event Cooperation Partner
The Policy Perspectives Foundation (PPF) was founded in 2005 as a non-profit and apolitical think-tank on matters of national interest. The organisation's activities focus on complex and inter-connected challenges to internal peace, stability and development in India.
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Media Partner
StratNewsGlobal.com is an Indian niche venture that has established itself as an online media house that provides a judicious mix of on-ground reporting and in-depth analysis of events as they happen, in the strategic affairs, foreign policy and defence space. StratNews Global's coverage is also a valuable open-source intelligence as many dignitaries and people holding high offices talk to us on current affairs and international relations.
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University Partner
The Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE) is a research centre focussed on the economy, borders and identities, the environment and regional geopolitics of the wider Himalayan region including the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram.
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Think Tank Partner
C3S is the only think tank based away from Delhi that carries out a focused study of China, and related dynamics in South Asia. The profile of research and discussion activities at C3S pivots on the in-depth study of developments relating to China with priority to issues of interest to India in various verticals - Business & Economics, Defence & Security, Geopolitics & Strategy, Society & Politics, Science & Technology, Human Rights & Law, Culture & History and Environment & Health.
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