U.S. Air War College Hosts Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, for Speech on China’s Belt and Road Initiative in early November 2024

On November 5, 2024, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, gave a speech entitled “High, Low, and No Speed along the BRI” for the “Great Power Studies” course at the United States (US) Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama. In his speech, Dr. Blanchard offered some basics about China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), BRI aims, and shortcomings in the study of the BRI. He also reviewed the upsides and downsides of the BRI for host/participant countries as well as third parties, some of the political, economic, and other challenges the BRI is facing in and outside of China as well as the latest BRI trends in terms of sectors, geography, and players, and the US response to the BRI. Dr. Blanchard further commented on what the BRI tells us about Chinese economic instruments of power and offered some policy recommendations. Following his speech, Dr. Blanchard was invited to engage with high-ranking military officers and civilians in a series of seminar visits to further discuss issues surrounding the BRI and US policy towards China’s initiative as well as China’s use of economic instruments of power.