About the Seminar:
The small states in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) have gradually become a strategic arena for completion among the major countries in recent years. The United States, India and China are the three main role players in this geopolitical landscape. Although China is not an Indian Ocean country, the IOR holds significant strategic value for China in its maritime outreach. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, who has showcased the magnificent diplomatic transformation to promote the Belt and Road Initiative and achieve the goal of national rejuvenation, the small states in IOR are gradually gaining fresh strategic position in the country’s overall diplomatic layout.

The seminar will first look at the strategic motivations behind China’s growing interest in the small states in the IOR. The second part will then look at China’s policy towards the four small states, namely Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius. It will analyse the main drivers and obstacles for China’s further development of these relationships. Last but not least, the session will come up with a long-term picture of the major countries’ competitive and cooperative engagement in the region.

About the Speaker:
Dr Ren Yuanzhe graduated with PhD in diplomatic studies from China Foreign Affairs University in 2009. He also holds a master on international relations from the University of International Relations, China.

Dr Ren is a visiting senior research fellow at ISAS; an associate professor at the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management, China Foreign Affairs University. Concurrently, he is deputy director of the Centre for Protecting China’s Overseas Interests and secretary general of the Centre for Strategic and Peace Studies, CFAU. In addition, Dr Ren is also senior research fellow at the Collaborative Innovation Centre for Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and research fellow at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Maritime Studies, Chinese Association of Asia-pacific Studies from China, Beijing.

Dr Ren has conducted extensive research on maritime security as well as on bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, he has been paying special attention to China’s neighbourhood diplomacy, with a particular focus on South Asia. He initiated the China-India Think Tanks Dialogue in 2014. He actively engages with Indian thinks tanks on China-India relations and China’s policy towards South Asia. He is an alumnus of Asian Forum on Global Governance, Observer Research Foundation, India. He has been teaching and doing research on these aspects and has published several books and articles.