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East Asia Study Group Present Dr. Xu Peng on Scam Logistics
Unpacking the Infrastructure of Online Scams in the China–Southeast Asia Borderlands
Join us for a compelling talk by Dr. Xu Peng (SOAS University of London / University of Manchester), who explores how online scam centres across the China–Southeast Asia borderlands are not anomalies, but complex infrastructural regimes. Drawing on fieldwork and corridor-based analysis between Myanmar’s conflict zones and regional hubs like Yunnan, Thailand, and Cambodia, Dr. Peng reveals how militarised enclaves, digital platforms, and brokerage networks work together to move people, money, and persuasion at scale.
Her analysis traces three interlocking circuits—commodities, capital, and people—to show how illegality is converted into predictable circulation, producing uneven development through what she terms a “logistics fix.” The talk also considers the unintended consequences of security-first crackdowns and offers policy insights for regulating platforms, financial intermediaries, and border governance.
Further information can be found here.