As part of the Erasmus+ short-term program research fellow Mariia Kobzeva (School of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University) will stay at the department for China Studies between 24^th and 30^th June. She will visit the GEAS for an informal exchange meeting on 27^th June and present her research on the following topic:

The Chinese scientific community’s impact on the construction of political discourse about the BRI and related Eurasian projects

Over the past few years, in the PRC, many scientific centers focused on the study of the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, scientists face the task of forming the so-called discursive power of China and promoting the country's right to speak in the international arena. However, what is the real impact of Chinese scholars on the formation of political rhetoric? What ideas turn out to be the most significant, which research centers are the most influential? And can scientific debates reveal to us the framework for future policy? My study is meant to provide answers to these questions. As part of the discussion, I will talk about the research methods of the Chinese scientific discourse and share the findings made in the course of the ongoing project.

Mariia Kobzeva is a research fellow at St. Petersburg State University. Her research focuses on China's political and scientific discourse, 'soft security' issues, China's role in global governance, Belt and Road Initiative and China's Arctic policy. She received her M.A. in International Relations and PhD in Political Science from St. Petersburg State University.