Border Regions in the Xi Jinping Era: Yunnan beyond the "Bridgehead"

Abstract: In the current complex and volatile globalised world order, border spaces have increasingly become viewed as the physical representatives of "othering" and "zero-sum" games. Since Xi Jinping became President of the PRC, the country's land borders have become landmarks of this discourse. Despite the noticeable regional opening up aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative, China's borders are not immune to hyper-militarisation, centralisation and sovereignty-provoking practices. This article sheds light on these contradictory processes by focusing on the south-western border province of Yunnan. Under its "bridgehead" and now "radiation centre" (fushe zhongxin) status, Yunnan is situated in the middle of interrelated processes and often clashing versions of globalisation. It is a zone of both connectivity and disorder, embroiled in a "security–insecurity paradox" where the formula for domestic economic and social security is seen as jeopardising national security. Utilising the analytical framework of "bordering", this article analyses policies to highlight the (re)drawing of the border by the Chinese state across functional and symbolic landscapes. The study moves beyond the static understanding of Chinese borders and contributes to the growing literature on borders as processes.