When you hear the term “Global China,” what comes to mind? Most people would probably answer immediately: the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, for Prof. Timothy Oakes of the University of Colorado Boulder, viewing Global China solely through the lens of BRI policy is an oversimplification. In his guest lecture at the Department of Anthropology, Prof. Oakes invites us to set aside Beijing’s “grand strategy” narrative and shift toward a human geography perspective. He views China not as a monolithic actor operating according to a single blueprint, but rather as a complex “field of power.” This guest lecture explored why China’s obsession with concrete, asphalt, and fiber-optic cables is actually far more profound.
Drawing on the work of sociologist Ching Kwan Lee, Prof. Oakes explained that China’s state capital embodies “Sticky Power.” Unlike Western private capital, which is fluid and easily withdrawn, China’s capital is “anchored” to permanent physical infrastructure. Infrastructure is crucial to a country’s territoriality; it enables the state to control civil society through resources, ranging from dam water flow to the volume of traffic on toll roads. Interestingly, this “Sticky Power” is a double-edged sword. It is true that recipient countries become vulnerable to China’s influence. However, because this capital is “place-bound” (tied to a specific location), China itself becomes vulnerable to local political dynamics. China cannot simply remove toll roads or dams that have already been built if the political situation in the host country deteriorates.
As future scholars, we must view infrastructure projects not merely as bridges or ports, but as configurations of power that are determining who will control our space, data, and mobility in the future.
Author: Humas Departemen Antropologi
