From Boom to Bust – to Boom Again?

Abstract

The Boten SEZ at the China-Laos border is undergoing major development as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Its story goes back to 2007 when Boten opened as a land concession for a Chinese hotel-casino complex. Yet crime and mismanagement led to its abrupt closure in 2011, when most people left. This chapter is based on research in Boten in 2015-2017, between the zone’s first failure and its current boom. After introducing the history of Boten I show how “waiting” for development became an embodied trope for those living in the SEZ throughout this period. Secondly, I engage with the notion of “suspension” as an analytical device to address development zones in the context of China’s global ambitions.