An Investigation of China’s Investment in Africa

Sean Marcel Ryan, Fordham University ‘24

Abstract: China’s investiture in Africa has become a much-discussed topic since the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. Are these investments sound, or is China engaging in neo-imperialism through “debt-trap diplomacy,” as critics fear? This paper explores the Bagamoyo port project in Tanzania, one of China’s infrastructure projects, to first craft a better understanding of what Belt and Road Initiative investments look like. After looking at this microcosm example, the paper shifts to an investigation of China’s greater intent. Here the paper grapples with the question of politics versus economics, examining the trajectory China has set for itself but also looking at Africa’s development. The paper seeks to reach a common understanding between the recipient African countries’ goals and China’s intentions.

Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary China: A Review

William Martindale, Brigham Young University ‘24

Abstract: This paper reviews the categorizes existing research on conspiracy theories in contemporary China. It finds that existing research focuses on one of three categories of conspiracy the- ory: Health, economic, and ethnonational threat. However, each of these categories fits a shared narrative of threat to China from foreign nations or national minorities. This differs from Western conspiracy theories, which tend to focus on hidden threats from within one’s society. This paper also examines existing research on the use of conspiracy theories by some Chinese government authorities. While conspiracy theories can be useful for removing unhelpful narratives from public discourse, they ultimately undermine China’s own goals by harming foreign relations, confusing the people about public health, and weakening the authority of fact-checkers. Further research is needed to understand conspiracy theory narratives outside mainstream Chinese discourse and understand how conspiracy theories interact across the Chinese-speaking sphere.

Methods of Government Control in Chinese Venture Capital

Laura Bocek, Stanford University ’24

Abstract: Venture capital is a key investment tool for financing risky innovation that forms an important pillar of most modern economies, including China’s. China’s financial development has propelled the country from having almost no private equity market 30 years ago to being one of the largest players in the global venture capital market. However, with the fast-paced growth, the Chinese Communist Party maintained control. Through background research and three case studies, this essay shows the various paths of CCP involvement in the venture capital sector. Under investor-state, shareholding state, and human resource management, China manages venture capital for national purposes. Using the examples of the China International Capital Corporation, GP Capital, and Source Code Capital, the essay details the three different mechanisms of control.

The Road to Technological Self-Sufficiency: Assessing China’s Ability to Sustain Frontier Technologies

Khushmita Dhabhai, Stanford University ‘26 |Giang Huong Do, Haverford College ‘25 | Nelly Vondrova, Sciences Po ‘24| Sungbin Hwang, The George Washington University ‘26

Abstract: This paper will investigate the extent to which China will be able to indigenously sustain its technology sector. This question is especially pertinent given China’s potential de-coupling from the United States and the rest of the world. Our analysis domains are narrowed down to China’s self-proclaimed ‘frontier technologies’: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and space exploration technology. While evaluating China’s capacity for self-sustainment in these sectors, our arguments include an analysis of the current output trends in each sector, an examination of the extent of Chinese dependence on foreign resources in each sector, an investigation into the quality, quantity, and corresponding impacts of human capital in each sector, and an exploration into the current government policies and their implications for each sector. This paper concludes with an evaluation of whether China would be able to indigenously sustain its ‘frontier technologies,’ claiming that there is no definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. While Chinese policies are encouraging smaller tech firms, the country is victim to a brain drain and large volumes of raw-material imports from the U.S.

Threat to the Liberal International Order: U.S. Hegemonic Decline and the Chinese Power Transition

Kate Vo, Tulane University ‘26

Abstract: The liberal international order has long laid at the foundation of global relations, affecting the way global powers operate within the broader hegemonic order. However, the decline of U.S. hegemony due to external and domestic factors has allowed a rising China to take advantage and potentially set a new agenda that could challenge liberal order. In casting itself as a more stable, reliable power it could topple the long regime of unipolarity in which America has led as a preponderant power. By referring to research analysis and critiques of global relations, this paper explores the fate of the Western political framework amidst the emergence of more state-centered, authoritarian economic models and political frameworks.

Emerging Trends in EMP Technology: A Comparative Patent Analysis of China and the United States

McKay McFadden, Brigham Young University ‘24

Abstract: Electromagnetic pulse weapons are known as the “nuclear weapons of the new era.” Given the growing international influence of this technology, this article discusses the current status and future development trends of this technology in China and the United States. Due to security concerns, there is relatively little publicly available information on electro-magnetic pulse research, but existing public patent databases are still a valuable resource for researchers. Based on these databases, this article analyzes 19 US electromagnetic pulse technology patents and 30 Chinese electromagnetic pulse technology patents. From this data, we can conclude that the most common electromagnetic pulse technologies are electromagnetic pulse protection systems developed by various private companies. In addition, this article proposes two main conclusions: (1) although public patent databases cannot show the full picture of electromagnetic pulse technology, they can help us explore the latest trends in its development; (2) both China and the United States have a demand for electromagnetic pulse protection systems, and the demand is not small, which conversely implies that increasing numbers of electromagnetic pulse weapons are inevitable.

China’s One-Child Policy: Implementation and Consequences

Margaret Daisy Salchli, Fordham University ‘24

Abstract: In 1979, the Chinese government implemented the most ambitious population control policy in history. The One-Child Policy had tremendous impacts on China’s population and society. The policy’s aim: to control population growth and encourage smaller families. Though these aims were met, significant consequences ensued, including a stark gender im- balance and a rapidly aging population. These issues have created social and economic challenges that burden the young, the old, and the state. China has now reversed the policy in attempts to spur population growth. This paper explores the One-Child Policy’s history, im- implementation, impacts on Chinese society, and the changes made in response to these impacts.

How Cross-Strait Power Discrepancy Affects Taiwan’s Support for Reunification: A Realist Perspective

Ruodan Xu, Brown University ’23

Abstract: This paper studies the effect of the cross-strait power discrepancy on the decline in Taiwan’s support for reunification with mainland China, which has been evident in the past decades. Borrowing from realist theories of international relations, it argues that the cross-strait power discrepancy decreases Taiwan’s reunification preferences because as Taiwan’s relative power decreases vis-à-vis mainland China, the potential bargaining equilibrium in the event of reunification shifts away from Taiwan’s maximum preferences. Using polling data and statistical inference and accounting for other potential explanatory variables, including Taiwan’s “de-Sinicizing” education contributing to the decline of Chinese identity on the island and changes in mainland China’s political institutions, this paper finds a unique significant negative correlation between the cross-strait GDP discrepancy and the Taiwanese public’s support for reunification.