Rethinking China, the Middle East and Asia in a ‘Multiplex World’

Book Talk:

Rethinking China, the Middle East and Asia in a ‘Multiplex World’

Speaker:
Manochehr Dorraj, Professor of Political Science, Texas Christian University, USA
Habibul Khondker, Professor of Social Sciences at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mojtaba Mahdavi, Professor of Political Science and the ECMC Chair in Islamic Studies, University of Alberta

Commentator:

Ashley Esarey, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the interdisciplinary program in Taiwan Studies, University of Alberta

When: Thursday, May 26th, 2022, 10:00 am (Edmonton Time)
Where: Online Zoom Webinar. For registration please CLICK HERE.

The editor and chapter contributors of this volume will shed light on the complexities and the nuances of China’s multifaceted expanding ties with the regions and the opportunities and the challenges that await all sides. By providing a synthesis of theoretical observations on the nature of China’s engagement with case study of key countries and regions that are China’s partner in Belt and Road Initiative, they offer thought and insights on the rapid changes surrounding China’s global rise and the regional transformation in context. This edited volume critically examines the changing dynamics of multidimensional relations between China, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia in an emerging ‘multiplex world’. It challenges both extremes of ‘Sinophobia’ and ‘Sinophilia’ by studying the real ‘pragmatist’ China. This book, in a foreword, introduction and thirteen chapters, problematises what MENA and Asia means to China in the age of neoliberalism, explores what are the real or perceived pillars of Sino‒MENA-Asia relations, and sheds light on how MENA can benefit from its relations with China while keeping a clear distance from the harms of neoliberal authoritarianism.