Abstract

This seminar is informed by an ongoing multi-year research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The project examines the implications of US–China rivalry for cooperation–conflict dynamics in the Mekong River Basin (MRB). Prior to the intensification of this rivalry, China—by virtue of its superior geographical position and material power resources—was able to pursue its interests in the MRB largely unimpeded. This was reflected, for example, in a cascade of large-scale dams constructed unilaterally along the river’s mainstream. Today, however, China’s hydro-hegemonic position in the MRB is arguably overlaid by great-power rivalry. The implications of such an overlay for patterns of (counter-)hydro-hegemony remain largely unexplored. How does this evolving context affect regional perceptions of power and what does it mean for conflict and cooperation among the riparian states? Drawing on selected aspects of the broader research project, this seminar presents some preliminary insights into these questions.

About the Speaker

Dr Sebastian Biba is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Political Science at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. He is also affiliated with the Institute of Asian Studies at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg. Previously, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC; the School of International Studies (SIS) at Peking University; and the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. In recent years, his research has focused broadly on the US–China great-power rivalry and its implications, particularly for Europe and security in the Asia-/Indo-Pacific. He also maintains a longstanding interest in China’s foreign policy and foreign affairs, including the country’s international river politics and its relations with Germany. His recent work has been published in leading international journals, including Contemporary Security Policy, International Affairs, Journal of Common Market Studies, and The Pacific Review. He is the author of the Routledge monograph China’s Hydro-politics in the Mekong and has (co-)edited several books and special journal issues.