Dr Alvin (left) and Dr Kam (right)
UTAR Institute of Management and Leadership Development (IMLD), and the
Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre (BRSRC) organised a talk titled “How
Chinese capital exacerbates structural violence of ethnic minorities:
externalization, extraction, and reaffirmation in South and Southeast Asia”
on 8 May 2023 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus. Invited to speak at the talk were
the Assistant Professor at the University of Denver, Dr Alvin Camba and the
Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Dr Stefanie
Kam Li Yee.
The talk addressed the argument of three mechanisms, particularly
externalisation, extraction, and reaffirmation— that exacerbate structural
violence against ethnic minorities. Dr Alvin Camba explained that Externalisation costs means groups
are punished by the negative effects of the project;
Economic extraction means projects are aimed towards maximising
economic activities in indigenous lands;
Reaffirmation mmeans generating
political capital by diverting projects toward coalition members who belong
to the same ethnicity.
Dr Alvin mentioned that compared to Western capital, Chinese capital is
more prone to externalisation, extraction, and reaffirmation effects. He
emphasised the Chinese practice of non-interference as a key process,
overcapacity and decentralised economic policies, and open networks in the
West, opening these projects to contestation from a variety of actors.
The case studies focused on projects in the Philippines, Myanmar,
Pakistan, and Xinjiang. Dr Kam further explained the case studies in terms
of the political logic of externalising cost, the logic of economic
extraction, and the reaffirmation of the majoritarian ethnic coalition. She
provided examples of how the mechanisms operated in each case, such as the
Kaliwa Dam project and the Chico River Pump irrigation project in the
Philippines, the Myitsone dam in Myanmar, the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, and Shadow case in Xinjiang.
Dr Alvin concluded by highlighting the need for further research into the
conceptual differences between Chinese and Western capital. The talk ended
with an interactive Q&A session and a group photograph.
Third from right: Dr Alvin with IMLD Director and
BRSRC Chairperson Prof Dr
Cheng Ming Yu and UTAR staff
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