Fifth Belt and Road Initiative Interdisciplinary Conference

23 September to 24 September 2025

Our conference

As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to enhance global connectivity, this conference explores the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing intercultural communication and related fields. Focusing on such key areas as intercultural communication, health communication, translation, and digital humanities, the conference will address how AI reshapes interactions, fosters collaboration, and bridges cultural and linguistic gaps across the BRI regions. The conference also delves into critical topics such as the risks and countermeasures associated with AI, providing a platform for thought provoking discussions on its implications for global engagement. By bringing together experts in academia, healthcare, translation studies, and technology, the event aims to produce innovative solutions and strategies for leveraging AI to navigate complex global challenges and enhance cross-cultural understanding.

Conference themes

We welcome papers, panels, workshops, and work-in-progress sessions on (but not limited to) the following topics with links to artificial intelligence (AI):

  • Health Communication

Pragmatics, metaphor analysis, multimodal discourse analysis and corpus linguistics.

  • Intercultural Communication

Global communication of Chinese culture, China in global news, business communication and teaching Chinese culture overseas.

  • Language and Culture Education

AI generated teaching materials, systematic review and empirical studies of AI application in language teaching.

  • Law and BRI: Legal Frameworks

Cross-border Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property Rights, Investment Laws, and Legal Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

  • Finance and Business
  • Environmental Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development
  • Ethical Considerations of AI

Keynote speakers

  • Professor Giles Mohan

The Open University, UK.

  • Professor Binhua Wang

The University of Leeds, UK.

  • Professor Joe Huiyu Zhou

The University of Leicester, UK.

  • Professor Yixue Sun

Tongji University, China.

  • Professor Yu-Ling Ma

The University of Oxford, UK.

  • Professor Wei Cai

The University of Calgary, Canada.

  • Dr Qihe Xu

King's College London, UK.

  • Dr Amily Guénier

Lancaster University, UK.

  • Dr Penelope Scott

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China.

Supporters and academic partners

Host and organiser:

Lancaster University Confucius Institute, UK.

Conference partners:

South China University of Technology, China.

Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China.

Program and registration

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Travel information

The conference will take place at Lancaster University.

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How to contact us

Please email bri-conference@lancaster.ac.uk

Previous conferences

  • Fourth Lancaster University Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative: New Trends in Belt and Road Initiative Research, 13-14 June 2024.
  • Third Lancaster University Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative: Belt and Road at 10, 24-26 May 2023
  • Second Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative: The Transition from the Pandemic, 8-10 June 2022 (hybrid)
  • First Interdisciplinary Conference on Belt and Road Initiative & Launch of Lancaster University Belt and Road Initiative Research Consortium, 6-8 June 2019