Eighteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Beijing’s international development agenda, namely through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), targets emerging markets to benefit the People’s Republic of China (PRC). China leverages an attractive anti-Western perspective providing nations with the infrastructural wherewithal to prosper in the global digital economy. Previous research outlined how Chinese foreign policy adapted to meet the needs and fears of less democratic states. This is clear in relations with Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries that share a post-colonial history of dependence on aid from demanding donors (PRC, European Union (EU), and United States (US)). China has taken advantage of the grievances that have come as a result, leveraging its shared Portuguese colonial history and its wide diaspora in these countries to introduce Chinese ICT and media brands, provide effective surveillance technologies and rapidly implement lucrative networks profiting agriculture. Future research building off of this analysis carried out through English, Portuguese, and Chinese language studies, data, and reporting can explore these impacts on upcoming international development and great power competition in fields such as cybersecurity.