Wednesday, February 4, 2026
12:00–1:30 PM HST
Online Event

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Chinese resource extraction in Southeast Asia, an integral component of its broader Belt and Road (BRI) Strategy, is driven by the need to secure access to raw materials from oil, gas, and minerals (including rare earths) to rubber, coal, and palm oil. Such activities, which have intensified in recent decades, not only embroil local government elites in transnational economic networks but also exact profound environmental and social impacts on the places where they take place. These resource extraction and associated infrastructure projects have destroyed forests, contaminated groundwater, and reduced biodiversity across Southeast Asia. Our webinar offered local perspectives on Chinese extractive industries in Southeast Asia, drawing from both academic and policy fields.

This panel discussion was moderated by Petrice Flowers (Director, Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs).

Carolyn Gruber is a Fellow and Deputy Director of the Environmental Security Program at the Stimson Center. Before joining the Stimson Center, Carolyn was a foreign affairs specialist for the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, including at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focusing on international fisheries conservation and management. Throughout her tenure with the federal government, Carolyn honed her expertise on a wide range of marine policy issues, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, the impacts of climate change on coastal and marine ecosystems, and sustainable fisheries management. Carolyn holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Richmond and a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University.

Jessica Liao is an associate professor of Asian Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. Previously, she was an associate professor of political science at the School of Public and International Affairs at North Carolina State University. She also served as the 2020-2021 Wilson China Fellow. In 2022, she served as an economic development specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where she focused on China’s external engagement with Belt and Road Initiative countries.

Ardhitya Eduard Yeremia is an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia. He also serves as a research fellow at the Asia Research Center at Universitas Indonesia. He earned his PhD from the School of International Relations and the Research School of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University. His research focuses on the various dimensions and levels of China’s rising influence, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia. His work has been published in The Pacific Review, International Journal of China Studies, International Journal of Asian Studies, Asian Perspective, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Asia Europe Journal, and other academic journals.

This webinar was co-sponsored by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Center for Chinese Studies, Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and Office of Global Engagement.