Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), served as a keynote speaker at the 18th Annual China Goes Global Conference held at EM-Lyon Business School (Paris, France). At this gathering, attracting researchers and practitioners from around the world, Dr. Blanchard gave a speech entitled “Learning the Ropes about Chinese Overseas Ports,” using the Wong MNC Center research projects on overseas ports as a platform to shed light on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), outward foreign direct investment (FDI), and overseas infrastructure as well as research on these topics. Dr. Blanchard began by laying out some problems involved in analyzing the BRI, outward FDI (OFDI), and overseas infrastructure and the associated effects.
Wong MNC Center News
November 21st, 2024
November 21st, 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.
November 21st, 2024
This October 15, 2024 Finance Asia piece by Han Shih Toh discusses evolving patterns in the volumes, geographic, and sectoral destination of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (FDI). Responding to queries from Toh, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, said he did not accept that Chinese outward FDI (OFDI) is becoming “small and beautiful.’” He noted that it was shifting to manufacturing and that there was a much greater emphasis on Southeast Asia. Blanchard also pointed to a number of factors driving these trends like increased competition within China. Other parts of the article examined Chinese OFDI trends, these trends’ drivers, and the future of the Belt and Road Initiative. The article also covered the latest developments pertaining to Chinese overseas lending at a time when China’s economy is struggling and Chinese borrowers remain troubled.
November 21st, 2024
Rest of World interviewed Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, on July 23, 2024 regarding Microsoft’s decision to relocate a large number of employees outside of China. The story probed what had brought Microsoft to China and what was driving its decision to adjust its employment there at a time when it faced increasing Congressional pressures in the US. Viola Zhou, the author of the story, reached out to Dr. Blanchard about the factors luring Softee to China. He noted that Microsoft maintained a strong presence in the mainland not just because of the market but also because China offered individuals with considerable talent and networks. The piece further examined the tough questions facing employees that might have to relocate, the (un)attractiveness of prospective relocation venues, and some of the uncertainties associated with migrating abroad.
July 12th, 2024
In early July 2024, the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center) orchestrated a 1-1/2 day workshop on Chinese overseas ports in Africa and the Middle East. This workshop, organized, hosted, and sponsored by the Wong MNC Center, brought together academics, analysts, and researchers from universities, government research institutions, and independent think tanks in China, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss China’s involvement in ports in these aforementioned two regions. Participants delved into what was happening, what were the effects of what has been transpiring, and the factors shaping what had occurred and the effects that had flowed from port developments.
July 12th, 2024
On May 7, 2024, FinanceAsia interviewed Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations about the implications of US government restrictions on portfolio investment in Chinese assets, the direction of American policy on investment restrictions, and the potential direct and indirect effect of restrictions on China. Dr. Blanchard forecast more American Congressional measures to restrict portfolio investment in as well as foreign direct investment (FDI) into China. He predicted President Joseph Biden would support such measures, but was uncertain about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump given his ties to the financial industry as well as prominent industry leaders. Regardless, Dr. Blanchard saw little impact on the Chinese economy if measures were taken.
May 7th, 2024
Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), made two separate presentations of Wong MNC Center research projects at the 2024 International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. The ISA Annual Meeting is one of the world’s largest gatherings of international relations and foreign policy specialists. In one speech entitled “The Effects of China’s Digital Silk Road [DSR]: Cases from Southeast Asia,” Dr. Blanchard gave an overview of the DSR, highlighted its aims, and identified limits to the existing literature. He also surveyed the potential good and bad economic and political effects of the DSR. Furthermore, Dr. Blanchard presented the Center’s research on the DSR’s footprint in, respectively, Malaysia and Thailand and its economic and political consequences in both countries.
November 23rd, 2023
In late October, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), gave a talk to the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy, Royal University of Cambodia (Phnom Penh). During his talk, entitled, “How do We Approach International Relations as an IR Scholar? The Case of China’s Digital Silk Road in Malaysia and Thailand,” Dr. Blanchard discussed how some of these terms might be defined, offered some thoughts on what it means to be an “IR Scholar” in terms of what one researches and how one should conduct research. Dr. Blanchard talked about the Wong MNC Center’s multi-year project on China’s Digital Silk Road Initiative (DSR) and discussed two DSR case studies within the framework of his argument about how one should approach international relations as an IR scholar. After his talk concluded, Dr.
November 23rd, 2023
An October 21, 2023 story in Asian Sentinel entitled “Reduced BRI Expected to Offer Less Money” an interview with various experts including Dr. Jean-Marc. F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations. The story pondered the future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with some forecasting that China would spend much less on the BRI while others projected that the BRI would emphasize “smaller,” “greener,” and more “beautiful” projects going forward. The piece also highlighted the reduced attendance of top leaders, particularly Southeast Asian leaders, at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in late October. Dr. Blanchard offered comments on the future prospects of the BRI.
November 23rd, 2023
On October 12, 2024, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), met with Professor Pongphisoot Busbarat, Assistant Dean & Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science, and Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, both at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand). Among other topics, they discussed Thai-China economic and political relations and their prospects, the contemporary state and effect of Chinese investment and contracting in Thailand, the research emphases of Professor Busbarat’s Department, and potential areas for future research collaboration. Dr. Blanchard presented Professor Busbarat with copies of the Wong MNC Center’s three-part series on China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (Palgrave, 2018, 2019, and 2021).
