Raffaello Pantucci is a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London based think tank where his work looks at, among other things, China‘s relations to the West. His work has been featured in pubications like the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. He is the co-editor of China in Central Asia and is currently completing a manuscript on China‘s relations with Central Asia. He is also the co-founder of YoungChina Watchers and currently Co-head of the YCW London chapter.
During his visit to Kazakhstan last year, President Xi Jinping laid out his vision for the Silk Road Economic Belt. Since then, speculation has filled the void to try to explain what this means and what the strategic underpinnings of the vision. The reality is that it builds on a long-term strategic approach that Chinahas had towards Central Asia that is founded on theories like the March Westward and the policy of developing Xinjiang. Based on on-the-ground research conducted across Central Asia and China, Raffaello Pantucci, delivered a presentation of what the Silk Road Economic Belt means and how China is reshaping the geopolitical landscape in Central Asia.
