Singapore University of Social Sciences

The main objective of OEL326 is to provide students with the environments and tools to develop a deeper understanding of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) -New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor - CCI-ILSTC, which serves as a bridge between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This is achieved through a combination of experiential learning, e-learning, classroom activities, and participation in an overseas trip to Chongqing, China. In November 2018, Singapore and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to develop the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstrative Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI-ILSTC) (中新(重庆) 战略性互联互通示范项目国际陆海贸易新通道). Under the MOU, the CCI-ILSTC will incorporate the four CCI priority sectors, namely; financial services, aviation, transport & logistics and information & communications technology and other modern services. It will facilitate trade through stronger data, digital and financial flows, standardisation of logistics practices and customs cooperation. The CCI-ILSTC will also lower international logistics cost, catalyse the development of modern industries and services, and provide companies with more options to transport goods. The development of CCI-ILSTC is expected to promote multimodal and multifaceted economic links that catalyse conventional trade connectivity and new dimensions of connectivity like finance and professional services in China’s western region and Southeast Asia, resulting in greater integration of both regions. This course will encourage students to critically analyse the opportunities and complexities facing the conventional trade connectivity and new dimensions of connectivity like finance and professional services in China’s western region and Southeast Asia, by comparing the trade ideologies and policies in both countries. Through the interactions with local practitioners and trade-related projects in Chongqing and Singapore, students will not only learn about the opportunities in the BRI/ CCI-ILSTC, but also get to critically reflect on the relationship between BRI/ CCI-ILSTC and trade connectivity.