Fourth Belt and Road Initiative Interdisciplinary Conference
Thursday 13 June 2024 to Friday 14 June 2024
Our conference
As China’s “project of the century,” the Belt and Road initiative has garnered significant attention across policy, media, and academic circles since its official announcement in 2012. It has produced a sizeable literature spanning various disciplines, including politics, law, environment, economics, and culture, giving rise to diverse narratives ranging from viewing it as a 'win-win global cooperation initiative' to a 'grand strategy' or 'debt diplomacy.' As the BRI enters its second decade, its impact on China's diplomacy remains pivotal, shaping outcomes for better or worse.
The Fourth Interdisciplinary Conference on the Belt and Road Initiative at Lancaster University aims to serve as a dynamic platform for discussions on the latest BRI developments and emerging research trends. Building on the success of previous three conferences held in 2019, 2021, and 2022, the Lancaster University Belt and Road Initiative Research Consortium has established global research partnerships with Chinese universities to study China and the Belt and Road Initiative. We bring together a diverse community of academic experts, policymakers, practitioners, government officials, and businesses to exchange ideas, generate knowledge, and propose actionable solutions relevant to stakeholders.
The conference invites paper submissions on China's Belt and Road Initiative. We interpret the BRI as a broadly defined slogan[1]and thus welcome papers studying the international dimensions of China. The conference will take place at Lancaster University and Lancaster Castle between June 13 and 14, 2024. To encourage open and frank discussions, Chatham House rule will be adopted throughout the entire conference except keynote sections.
[1] Jinghan Zeng, Slogan Politics: Understanding Chinese Foreign Policy Concepts, London: Palgrave Macmillan, September 2020
Call for papers
The deadline to submit a paper has now passed.
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The deadline to submit a paper has now passed.
The conference is calling for papers related to the following research topics:
- International Relations and the BRI
- Intercultural Communication and the BRI
- Digital Silk Road and High Tech Policy
- Governance, Law and the BRI
- Health Humanity and the BRI
- Discourse Studies and the BRI
Abstract requirements:
Interested faculty members, researchers and postgraduate students are welcome to submit a paper.
- Abstracts should be between 150-200 words in English.
- Please include positions, affiliations, and email addresses for all authors with a short bio (max. 300 words).
- Please use Times New Roman 12-point font size, single spaced.
- Both published and unpublished works are accepted.
- The submission of full papers is strongly encouraged but not required. However, registrants who submit a full paper will have a better chance of being invited to present their paper in similar circumstances.
Notifications of acceptance will be communicated by 15 March 2024.
Supporters and Academic Partners
Host: Lancaster University Belt and Road Initiative Research Consortium
Organiser: Lancaster University Confucius Institute
Supporters & Academic Partners:
- Center for Social Futures at Lancaster University
- Guangdong Institute for International Strategies (China)
- Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance at Fudan University (China)
- One Belt-One Road Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University (China)
- School of Economics at Sichuan University (China)
- College of State Governance at Southwest University (China)
- Belt and Road Communication Research Center at Xidian University (China)
Keynote speakers
Professor Renwei Huang, Executive Director-General, Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance
Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Royal Holloway, University of London
Program and registration
Conference fees:
The conference fees include conference attendance, tea and coffee breaks and lunch for both days.
- Standard conference fee: £300.
- Early-bird registration (until 12 April 2024) fee: £200.
- Registration fee for students: £150.
- Early-bird registration (until 12 April 2024) fee for students: £100.
Please note that the deadline to register for the conference has now passed.
Conference dinner:
On Thursday 13 June 2024, the conference dinner will be held in the Private Dining Room at Lancaster University.
Please note that the registration for the conference dinner is now closed.
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The conference will commence on Thursday 13 June 2024 at 9.00am and close on the evening of Friday 14 June 2024.
On Saturday 15 June 2024, there will be an optional trip to the beautiful Lake District National Park.
Due to limited spaces, please let us know in advance if you would like to join the Lake District trip.
Travel information
The conference will take place at Lancaster University Management School.
Travel information accordion
The university’s travel page provides detailed instructions on how to get here by car, rail, bus, air, and bicycle.
There are two options for campus accommodation, please see the links below.
- On-campus bed and breakfast accommodation (guest rooms on campus)
- Lancaster House Hotel (four-star hotel, located at the edge of campus)
If you prefer staying in Lancaster (town), there are several options, which you can easily find on booking websites.
How to contact us
Please email BRI-2024@lancaster.ac.uk.
Previous Conferences
- Third Lancaster University Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative: Belt and Road at 10
24-26 May 2023
- Second Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative: The Transition from the Pandemic
8-10 June 2022 (hybrid)
- First Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative & Launch of Lancaster University Belt and Road Initiative Research Consortium
6-8 June 2019