21St Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Abusive Practices in Global Economic Expansion
Mrs. Emily de La Bruyère, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, addressed the strategic risks associated with China’s global economic expansion. She posited that Beijing’s pursuit of global leadership transcends military might, primarily through economic influence. This approach involves leveraging investments, infrastructure projects, and trade networks to acquire control over critical resources, markets, and data in other nations. De La Bruyère emphasized that this strategy enables China to establish long-term geopolitical leverage while shaping global economic systems.
She elucidated several concerns pertaining to Chinese economic engagement, including environmental exploitation, labor abuses, and infrastructure projects aimed at securing strategic control over minerals, energy, and information networks. In her view, these practices can engender short-term and long-term risks to economic development, human rights, and national sovereignty. De La Bruyère concluded that nations must reevaluate their assessment of foreign investment and acknowledge the broader strategic implications of China’s economic activities to safeguard their resources, institutions, and economic independence.
