Boon Beng Lee (Singapore Embassy in Berlin)

President Xi Jinping first proclaimed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in September 2013. The grand design is to establish an overland “Silk Road Economic Belt” connecting China and Europe, recreating the Historical Silk Route, which brought great wealth to China and cities along the route. The BRI covers more than two thirds of the world’s population, while accounting for one third of global GDP and one quarter of global trade. It promises to be a game-changer and offers a Chinese vision for globalisation.  This talk seeks to analyse the historical context of the BRI, and China’s strategy in pushing forth the initiative. It focuses on the reactions of Southeast Asia countries, where the BRI has the potential to enhance connectivity and accelerate infrastructure development. It further examines the importance of working with China based on the principles of free trade, economic integration, as well as international law and norms. 

Boon Beng Lee is currently Deputy Chief of Mission and Counsellor of the Singapore Embassy in Berlin. Before he took up post in Berlin in August 2015, he was the Deputy Director overseeing Singapore’s relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Directorate in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was posted to the Permanent Mission of Singapore at UN in New York as a delegate for the 67th UN General Assembly in 2012. His first overseas posting was in Hanoi, Vietnam from 2007-2011. He had various postings within MFA HQ, including the Directorates of Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and ASEAN. Boon Beng Lee graduated from London School of Economics and Political Science with BSc in International Relations (1998) and MSc in International Relations (1999). He also attained a MA in International Relations in Peking University (2007).

18.06.2018 | 18:15

Neubau "Holzlaube", Room 2.2051