Prof. Dr. Paulo Afonso B. Duarte (Lusófona University and Minho University, Portugal), “The South Atlantic in China’s 21st Maritime Silk Road: from a Bystander to a Quest for Residency.”

Mr. Jinrui Liu (PhD candidate, Yunnan University, China and PhD researcher, Leiden University, Netherlands), “A Comparative study of China and the United States’ reactions to ASEAN Centrality in the Indo-Pacific Context.”

Mr. Chaoting Cheng (Doctoral Candidate, Free University of Berlin, Germany), “Foreign Strategic Capabilities: A Comparative Analysis of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the US.”

Panel Chair: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Matthieu Grandpierron (Head, Political Science Department, Catholic University of Vendée, France).