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Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

November 13, 2026

China's Power Projection in the Indian Ocean

Event Series: China and the Global South

RSVP Required
Fabric map depicting the Indian Ocean and China

China’s growing strategic presence in the Indian Ocean, from ports and naval access to economic partnerships, has increasingly extended China's military presence beyond East Asia. What are the strategic and geopolitical motivations behind China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean? What are its implications for regional security and the potential for increased maritime competition in the Indian Ocean?  Join us for a webinar discussion with former ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia David Shinn for a timely conversation on maritime security, great power competition, and implications for Africa.

This event is co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues, Africa-China Initiative, the African Studies and Asian Studies Programs at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Featuring

David Shinn served for 37 years in the U.S. Foreign Service with assignments at embassies in Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Cameroon, Sudan and as ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. He was an adjunct professor of international affairs at Georgetown Washington University from 2001-2024. He is the co-author of the Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia and China-Africa: A Century of Engagement and Hizmet in Africa: The Activities and Significance of the Gulen Movement. He has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from George Washington University.

Paul Nantulya (discussant) is a research associate at the Africa Center, where he researches and prepares written analysis on contemporary Africa security issues. His areas of expertise include Chinese foreign policy, China-Africa relations, African partnerships with Southeast Asian countries, mediation and peace processes, the Great Lakes region, and East and Southern Africa. Nantulya previously served as a regional technical advisor on South Sudan for Catholic Relief Services, where he supported crisis mitigation for the government of South Sudan.

Veda Vaidyanathan (discussant) is a fellow in foreign policy and security studies at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Her research examines Asian engagement in Africa from the grassroots, across multiple sectors and countries. She is also affiliated with the Institute of Chinese Studies and the Harvard University Asia Centre. Vaidyanathan was previously a 2022-23 Fung Global Fellow at the Institute for International and Regional Studies at Princeton University.