Sanne van der Lugt on the BRI

LAC researcher Sanne van der Lugt was live today on the Dutch radio programme BNR Zaken to speak about the Belt and Road Initiative. You can listen to her interview here (in Dutch).

Sanne is an academic researcher with a focus on the consequences of China’s re-emergence as a global power for Europe. Her main research interests are Chinese economic activities in Africa, the digital silk road and China’s position in the fourth industrial revolution (including 5G, AI, DC/EP). While running a business in China (2006-2008) with the aim to study the Chinese business culture from within, Sanne wondered where the ‘Factory of the World’ was getting its resources from and what the implications were for peace and security on the African continent. Consequently, she shifted her focus towards China-Africa relations. In South Africa, she led and conducted fieldwork in many African countries and regions in China for her work at the Centre for Chinese Studies (2009-2011). Some of her research has been commissioned by Oxfam, WWF and the European Commission. Sanne’s PhD research (2014-2018) on Chinese and European telecom vendors in Nigeria gave her new insights in the important role of 5G in the global struggle for leadership of the fourth industrial revolution.