Preface

Despite it being one of the fastest growing political and economic phenomena in this part of the world, the role and manner of China’s influence in south Asia has been understudied for some time, leading to misunderstanding and confusion. CSEP has therefore sought through a multi-year project to study and develop an analytical framework for understanding China’s role in south Asia.

This second volume is the result of that continuing study of China’s growing influence by scholars from the countries of the sub-region. The range of Chinese interventions in south Asia has grown in the last decade to include conflict mediation, influence and social media operations, and cultural diplomacy, apart from an expansion of traditional economic and defence engagements to new tools and methods. In the process of this study, we have expanded our research agenda and methods and understanding of this phenomenon, as will become apparent from the case studies contained here.

These essays are both timely and topical. By working together with a network of scholars from the countries concerned, we were able to learn from each other and the studies achieved granularity and common analytical rigour that is rare. I also hope that they will contribute to the ongoing debate and reshaping of south Asia’s international political and economic engagement with a world in churn and change. South Asia has much to learn from its own experience and the more we can share with each other the more we benefit.

It is also our hope that the south Asian experience of China may be of interest to others outside the subcontinent who may find echoes of their own policy options and dilemmas. If so, this exercise would have met another one of our initial goals, to see how and whether experiences and analytical frameworks developed in our context can be generalised or produce broader learnings.