Encounters after the Soviet collapse: Chinese presence in the former Soviet Union border zone

Full day international workshop, organized by Irna Hofman, PhD candidate Leiden Institute for Area Studies, with speakers and discussants from Russia, Germany, Sweden, United Kindom, USA, Belgium, Japan, France and the Netherlands. Keynote: Professor Caroline Humphrey, Cambridge University. 

This event is made possible with the support of the Leiden Initiative on Central Asia, Asian Modernities and Traditions (AMT), International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), Leiden University Fund (LUF) and the Eurasian Agrofood and Land Initiative (EURAL).

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opening up of the former Soviet Union’s borders, cross border interactions between the former Soviet Union states and China have augmented, and cross border encounters increased rapidly in particularly the last decade. The diversity in Chinese involvement (the Chinese state, quasi-state actors, private and individual Chinese) and Chinese capital in neighbouring states’ economies, and the impetus given by the Chinese authorities to the ‘One road, one belt’ initiative, highlights the gained importance of the border zone. In addition, the recent reorientation of the Russian state towards its eastern regions shows that the border region stretching from the Russian Far East in the north to Central Asia and Afghanistan in the south is becoming a chessboard where various hegemonies strive for influence, with diverse implications for host states and local societies. [...]
Continue reading on the workshop website.
A preliminary programme can also be downloaded from this website 

Registration 
The workshop is free of charge but seats are limited. If you would like to attend please register with Irna Hofman. See registration information on the AMT website