26-27
September 2024 The Grand, New Delhi
The theme of ORCA's Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS) 2024 is The Art of Power in Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai, often seen as a black box of Chinese power, is the nucleus of all decision-making in China. Enclosed within its walls are the power corridors of China that guide momentous change and continuity in its social, political, and economic landscape. While Beijing’s authoritative governance leads to the perception of a monolithic China, several actors and processes interact to shape, cultivate, deploy, and manage power that flows from the heights of Zhongnanhai to the edges of the world. Understanding this Art of Power in Zhongnanhai is instrumental for decision-makers around the world to gauge and prepare for China’s ambitions for superpower status. The Global Conference on New Sinology 2024 seeks to bring together the brightest minds in the field of Sinology to deliberate the instruments and impacts of China’s art of power. The conference will dissect China’s growing military strength and its evolution into a modernized armed force that is increasingly willing to assert itself in maritime and continental domains around the world. The conference will also analyse the inner workings of the Communist Party of China, its method of centralizing control, and the thought process of its top leaders. With China’s economy struggling for momentum, the conference will detail domestic economic headwinds while also examining external economic risks that imperil Beijing’s economic power. China’s foreign policy, keen to project a favorable image of China and develop a new type of international relations, will be studied to reveal the impact of various stakeholders participating in foreign policy implementation.
(Open All Day)
- By Ms. Eerishika Pankaj, Head of Research and Operations Director at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
- Mr. Jayadeva Ranade, President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS)
Topic | The Art of Power in Zhongnanhai
Break for Morning Tea
- Moderated by AVM Anil Golani, Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS)
Opening Remarks: From Air to Ground: India's Joint Operations and Interoperability Across the LAC | Closing Remarks: Offering Reciprocity, Countering Asymmetry: LAC as a testament to India's Resolve against China - Maj. Gen. N D Prasad, Former Director, School of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies, Rashtriya Raksha University and Former Deputy Director General & Distinguished Fellow, CCCS, MEA
Topic | Road to Infrastructure Parity along the Eastern Sector: Xiaokang vs Vibrant Villages - Amb. Ashok Kantha, Former Ambassador of India to China
Topic | Negotiating Table to Ground Reality at the Western Sector - Lt. Gen. (Dr) Rakesh Sharma, Gen. Bipin Rawat Chair of Excellence, The United Service Institution of India (USI)
Topic | The Middle Sector: A template for Peace or a Future Flashpoint?
- Lt. Gen. S L Narasimhan, Former Director General, Centre for Contemporary China Studies (CCCS)
Topic | The Army’s Long March: Countdown to 2027 Centennial
- Moderated by Dr Roshan Khanijo, Assistant Director (Research), The United Service Institution of India
Opening Remarks: CPC's Civil-Military Fusion to Become "World Class Military" by 2049 | Closing Remarks: Implications for India - Brig. Sanal Kumar, Former Deputy Defence Attache in the Indian Embassy in Beijing, China
Topic | Tri-Service Organizational Reforms in PLA, PLAN, PLAAF - Personnel Changes in PLA and MOD - CCDI Within PLA - CMC 'War Cabinet' - Taiwan and India Focus - Integration of Command Structures for Multi-Domain Joint Capability - Dr. Amrita Jash, Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institution of Eminence), Manipal, India
Topic | Critical Role of Support Forces (Cyber, Space, Information - Hybrid Warfare) - SSF to ISF Transition - Personnel Changes in Rocket and Support Forces and How it Supports Broader PLA Goals - San Zhang (Psychological, Media And Legal Warfare Strategies) - Impact for India and Taiwan - Network-Centric Operations and Drones - Challenges to Restructuring
- Moderated by Cmde. C. Uday Bhaskar, Director, Society for Policy Studies (SPS)
Opening Remarks: PLAN's Modernization for an Expanded Military Footprint | Closing Remarks: IOR Centrality in the Indo-Pacific - Captain Sarabjeet S Parmar (Retd), Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies, United Service Institution of India (USI) and Distinguished Fellow, Council for Strategic and Defence Research (CSDR)
Topic | Projecting Power in the Indian Ocean Region: From Surveillance to Anti-Piracy - Cmde. Seshadri Vasan (Retd), Director General, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), and Regional Director, National Maritime Foundation
Topic | Chinese Dual-Use Presence in the IOR: Between Ports, Support Bases and Suspected Outposts - Dr. Ma Bo, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Nanjing University and Deputy Director, China Center for Collaborative Study of the South China Sea, Nanjing University
Topic | China and SIDS: Whose Security and Whose Safety? - Cdr. Abhijit Singh, Senior Fellow and Head, Maritime Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation
Topic | IOR in PLAN's Maritime Security Strategy - Dr. Pooja Bhatt, Associate Professor, Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University
Topic | Silent Nets: China's IU2 Fishing as a Non-Traditional Security Threat to the IOR
Break for Lunch
- Moderated by Lt Gen S L Narasimhan, Former Director General, Centre for Contemporary China Studies and Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru
Opening Remarks: How Xi has Retained Power? | Closing Remarks: Who will Xi Become the Kingmaker for? - Dr. Guoguang Wu, Senior Research Scholar, Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions, Stanford University and Senior Fellow on Chinese Politics, Centre fo China Analysis, Asia Society Policy Insititute (ASPI)
Topic | The 'Face' of the General Secretary - Xi's Loyalists - Organisation and Propaganda Department's Role in Building Xi's 'Cult of Personality' - Role of Security Apparatus - Leading Small Groups - Dr. Wen-Hsuan Tsai, Research Fellow, Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, (Taiwan)
Topic | People Behind the Scene - Role of Xi's Family as Advisors and Protectors - Xi's Proteges and Factional Network - Party Elders and Presidium - Beidaihe Meetings - Financiers of Xi's Loyalists
- Moderated by Dr. T. G. Suresh, Associate Professor, Centre for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Opening Remarks: CPC's Narrative Power: Synthesise or Sinicise? | Closing Remarks: Cultivating Non-CPC Elements with Chinese Characteristics - Dr. Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Topic | The Party's Evolving Ethnic Policies: Assimilating Identities and Mitigating Dissent - Prof. Ravni Thakur, Professor of Chinese Studies, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi
Topic | The Difficulty of Doing Business the CPC Way: Modulating Foreign Companies in China
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Mr. Kaushal Kishore Chandel, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies (CCSEAS), Jawaharlal Nehru University
Topic | Tracking the Trend: Internet Censorship and Public Opinion Control
- Moderated by Dr. Sriparna Pathak, Associate Professor and the Executive Director of the Centre for Northeast Asian Studies, School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University
Opening Remarks: Significance of Personnel Management as an Instrument of Party Power | Closing Remarks: Challenging Environment in Which Cadres Have to Operate - Mr. Rahul Karan Reddy, Senior Research Associate, Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
Topic | Disciplining the Party: Purging Tigers, Foxes and Flies - Dr. Devendra Kumar, Associate Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR
Topic | Enforcing the Xi Jinping Thought: From Training to Campaigns - Mr. Charles Parton OBE, Senior Associate Fellow, The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and Distinguished Fellow, Council on Geostrategy
Topic | Managing the Mandarins: Party Control of State Apparatus - Mr. Kalpit Mankikar, Fellow, Strategic Studies Programme, ORF
Topic | The Quid Pro Quo of Party Membership: Recruitment, Responsibility and Rewards - Dr. Wen-Hsuan Tsai, Research Fellow, Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, (Taiwan)
Topic | The Unwritten Norms of Policy Experimentation at the Local Level
- Dr. Joseph Torigian, Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover History Lab
Topic | Xi Jinping's Leadership Psychology
Break for Evening Tea
- Dr. Jaganath Panda, Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), Sweden; and Professor at the University of Warsaw
Topic | What would DL's passing mean for China's Himalayan strategy - How is China proving to be a hydro-hegemon in the Himalayan region - Why and how can the West show greater cooperation with India on the Tibet Question - How is the Tibet Question set to shape the future of the LAC dispute - Mr. Claude Arpi, Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR
Topic | Water politics - LAC - What is Xi hoping for with respect to Tibet in his third term in office?
- Moderated by Professor S.D. Muni, Professor Emeritus at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Opening Remarks: How and Why are India and China both Competing for the Tag of Global South's 'Torchbearer'? | Closing Remarks: Why Identifying the Ideal Torchbearer for an Idea like the Global South Matters? - Dr. Austin Strange, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong
Topic | Pursuing Status at the Cost of Development? The Political Pull of BRI for the Global South - Dr. Chen Gang, Deputy Director (Policy Research) and Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic | Global South in Xi Jinping's Legacy: Why Winning the Narrative Battle Matters - Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Assistant Professor, National Dong-Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
Topic | Placing its Bets: EU's Preferences in the China-India Competition for Global South Leadership - Dr. Swaran Singh, Professor, Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Topic | India-China Consensus and Competition: Advocating for the Global South in Multilateral Forums - Amb. Venu Rajamony, Professor, Diplomatic Practice, O.P. Jindal Global University and Former Ambassador of India to the Netherlands
Topic | India's Immovable Centrality in the Global South Narrative
Dinner - Invite-Only Delegates
(Open All Day)
- Moderated by Dr. Amita Batra, Professor of Economics, School of International Studies, JNU and Senior Fellow, CSEP, New Delhi
Opening Remarks: Assessing Global Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Amidst China-Taiwan War | Closing Remarks: Prospects for Global Cooperation in Mitigating Costs of War - Dr. Biswajit Nag, Professor, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
Topic | Taiwan Contingency and India's Production Capacity Conundrum - Dr. Austin Strange, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong
Topic | Breaking the Bank Fighting or Financing: What about the BRI? - Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Assistant Professor, National Dong-Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
Topic | Semiconductors at Stake: Protecting EU's Geoeconomic Interests - Dr. G. Venkat Raman, Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Topic | Choices and Dynamics of Mobilising China's Wartime Economy - Dr Apila Sangtam, Honorary Adjunct Fellow, National Maritime Foundation, Delhi
Topic | Chaos in the Neighbourhood: Securing Asia's SLOCs
Break for Morning Tea
- Moderated by Dr. Varaprasad S. Dolla, Professor in Chinese Studies Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Topic | Opening Remarks: Lessons from Third Plenum: Remedies and Ramifications for Chinese Economy | Closing Remarks: Economic Impact of New Productive Forces: China's Tech Self-sufficiency Drive - Dr. Sarah Y Tong, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic | Rebuilding the House: China's Strategies for a Failing Real Estate Sector - Dr. Avinash Godbole, Professor and Associate Dean, Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University
Topic | Challenge of Shifting Gears: Moving to Consumption-led Growth - Dr. Shachee Agnihotri, Assistant Professor (History), Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Amity University, Noida
Topic | Declining Demographic Dividend: Between the Unemployed Young and Dependant Old - Mr. Omkar Bhole, Senior Research Associate, Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
Topic | China's Uphill Battle for Digital Yuan: From Regulations to Reception
- Moderated by Amb. Ujal Singh Bhatia, India's Former Permanent Representative to the WTO
Topic | Opening Remarks: Overcapacity as the New Trigger for a Trade War? | Closing Remarks: Strategies for Countering China's Manufacturing Dominance - Dr. G. Venkat Raman, Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Topic | India's Perspective on Chinese goods flooding the Indian Market (Steel, Pharma, Electronics and other sectors) - How is India Guarding Against this Oversupply of Chinese goods - Tariffs and Trade Barriers - Plans to Compete with China's Oversupply by Building up Domestic Industries (PLI and Make in India) - Where Oversupply is a Security (Economic and National Security) Risk and Where it is Permissible - How to Invigorate Industrial Policy in India to Respond to Chinese Overcapacity - Dr. Li Yao, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic | Impact of Overcapacity on International Economy and Domestic Markets - Source of Overcapacity - State Subisdies and Industrial Policy in China - Vulnerability Created by Overcapacity for Other Countries: Trade Weaponization and Influence that China has as a Result of Oversupply, Decimation of Competitors or Impetus for Innovation? - WTO Regulations and Dispute Resolution in the Context of China's Oversupply - Role of FTA's, RCEP in Facilitating Oversupply
- Dr. Sarah Y Tong, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic |Commanding Influence of SOEs in Xi's Party-State Capitalism
Break for Lunch
- Moderated by Cmde. Seshadri Vasan (Retd), Director General, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), and Regional Director, National Maritime Foundation
Topic | Opening Remarks: Gauging Efficacy of China's Soft Power Strategy: Tools and Tactics | Closing Remarks: India's Soft Power Strategy in the Face of a China Challenge in the Neighbourhood - Dr. Nimmi Kurian, Professor, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi
Topic | Something Old, New and Borrowed: China's Soft Power Strategy in the Trans-Himalayan Region - Dr. Joseph Torigian, Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover History Lab
Topic | Building CPC as a Super-Party: Inter-Party Linkages Beyond Borders - Dr. Jabin Jacob, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, and Director, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR
Topics | Buddhism in the CPC's Statecraft: The Case of South Asia - Dr. Gunjan Singh, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University
Topic | Telling Chinese Stories Well: Influencing Media Operations Abroad - Dr. Chen Gang, Deputy Director (Policy Research) and Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic | Projecting the Green Image: China's Climate Diplomacy - Mr. Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury, Independent Geopolitical Analyst
Topic | Bridges and Bonds: China’s Development Diplomacy as a Tool for Soft Power in South Asia
- Dr. Guoguang Wu, Senior Research Scholar, Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions, Stanford University and Senior Fellow on Chinese Politics, Center for China Analysis, Asia Society Policy Institute
Topic | Consultants of Zhongnanhai: The Role of Academic Institutions in Chinese Foreign Policymaking
- Moderated by Prof. S.D. Muni, Professor Emeritus, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Topic | Opening Remarks: India's Approach and Perception of BRI in South Asia | Closing Remarks: Between Counters and Alternatives: Responding to the Next Decade of BRI
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Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), Sweden; and Professor at the University of Warsaw
Topic | China's Three New Global Initiatives in the 'New Era'
- Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi
Topic | BRI: The Certainity of Uncertainity in the Future
- Mr. Charles Parton OBE, Senior Associate Fellow, The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and Distinguished Fellow, Council on Geostrategy
Topic | Setting China Standards 2035: Proliferation of Chinese CIMs via the DSR
- Dr. Li Yao, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
Topic | Re-adjustments and Prospects for China's BRI Driven Trade
- MODERATOR - TBD
- Dr. Bali Deepak, Professor, Chinese Studies at the Centre for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Topic | Focus on Ideological Interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy: How to Understand China's Diplo-Speak on its Foreign Policy Endeavours? - What does Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics Denote? - What does 'New Type of International Relations' Mean? - Decode Phrases like: CSFH, Independent Foreign Policy of Peace, Two Guidances, True Multilateralism, Win-Win Cooperation, Historical Responsibility/Right Direction of History Etc - Dr. Ma Bo, Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Nanjing University and Deputy Director, China Center for Collaborative Study of the South China Sea, Nanjing University
Topic | Focus on the Actual Implementation: What Aspects of 'New Type of International Relations' is the Party Focusing on Most? - What Role does Wolf Warrior Diplomacy Play in this? - China's Role as a Mediator and Engagement in Conflict Areas - How have Wolf Warrior Diplomats Fared and Where are They Placed? - Decode the Implications of 'Network of Global Partnerships' (Eg. BRI)
- By Ms. Eerishika Pankaj, Head of Research and Operations Director at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
Break for Tea
Who’s Speaking
Our speakers for ORCA's Global Conference on New Sinology 2024
Dr. Guoguang Wu
Lt. Gen. S L Narasimhan
Captain Sarabjeet Singh Parmar (Retd.)
Dr. Ma Bo
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Cmde. Anil Jai Singh
Dr. Pooja Bhatt
Dr. Wen-Hsuan Tsai
Dr. Ritu Agarwal
Dr. Swaran Singh
Dr. Austin Strange
Dr. Chen Gang
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Amb. Venu Rajamony
Dr. G. Venkat Raman
Dr. Gunjan Singh
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Dr. Bali Deepak
Mr. Charles Parton OBE
Mr. Rahul Karan Reddy
Mr. Omkar Bhole
Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Rakesh Sharma
Dr. Jabin T. Jacob
Mr. Claude Arpi
Dr. Devendra Kumar
Dr. Sarah Y Tong
Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy
Dr. Jagannath Panda
Mr. Kaushal Kishore Chandel
Dr. Shachee Agnihotri
Cmde. C. Uday Bhaskar
Prof. S.D. Muni
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Amb. Ujal Singh Bhatia
Dr. Joseph Torigian
Dr. Avinash Godbole
Mr. Jayadeva Ranade
Dr. Rajiv Ranjan
Dr. Biswajit Nag
AVM Anil Golani (Retd.)
Maj. Gen. N D Prasad
Dr. Nimmi Kurian
Amb. Ashok Kantha
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Cmde. Seshadri Vasan (Retd.)
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Dr. Amrita Jash
Dr Apila Sangtam
Prof. Ravni Thakur
Brig. Sanal Kumar (Retd.)
Dr. Sriparna Pathak
Dr. T.G. Suresh
Dr. Li Yao
Mr. Kalpit Mankikar
Dr. Amita Batra
Dr. C. Raja Mohan
Dr. Varaprasad S. Dolla
Maj. Gen. B.K. Sharma, AVSM, SM and Bar (Retd.)
Amb. Nalin Surie
Mr. Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury
Cdr. Abhijit Singh
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Dr Roshan Khanijo
Partners
View the work of ORCA's GCNS 2024 Partners below.
Digital Partner
KWAD is a software consulting firm that specializes in web-app, iOS & Android mobile application design and website development.
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Research and Event Cooperation Partner
The Policy Perspectives Foundation (PPF) was founded in 2005 as a non-profit and apolitical think-tank on matters of national interest. The organisation’s activities focus on complex and inter-connected challenges to internal peace, stability and development in India.
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University Partner
The Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE) is a research centre focussed on the economy, borders and identities, the environment and regional geopolitics of the wider Himalayan region including the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram.
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Travel Partner
A2Z Voyages LLP provides comprehensive travel solutions, known for their customer-centric approach. Their expertise in managing complex travel arrangements ensures smooth and efficient logistics, making them an invaluable partner for our event.
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Logistics Partner
MICE Ventures provides in-depth knowledge and a one-stop solutions for all event management services.
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Think Tank Partner
C3S is the only think tank based away from Delhi that carries out a focused study of China, and related dynamics in South Asia. The profile of research and discussion activities at C3S pivots on the in-depth study of developments relating to China with priority to issues of interest to India in various verticals - Business & Economics, Defence & Security, Geopolitics & Strategy, Society & Politics, Science & Technology, Human Rights & Law, Culture & History and Environment & Health.
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