China’s BRI: Regional Prospects and Implications (original) (raw)
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An overview of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Implications in geo-strategy and geo-politics
International Journal of Business & Economic Development
China is a very interesting country, and the entire world is looking at it. This is not only because of its spectacular rise in the world stage and the fact that it has become one of the largest markets in the world. China has become a superpower economically as well as militarily. Simultaneously it has a penchant for doing things differently – from the established norms and practices, as followed primarily by the West. It is likely that China will be in a position to challenge USA shortly as the number one power in the world. It is also likely that China will soon be influencing world events in a major way. These are the primary reasons for undergoing this study. The specific objective is to understand in detail one of the grandest and most ambitious schemes floated by any country in modern times - that of the Belt and Road Initiative by China. The author is sure that this project will have a very substantial impact on the strategies and politics of the entire world. The originalit...
Belt and Road Initiatives (BRIs): Understanding China’s Intentions Behind It
European Journal of Law and Political Science
BRI is regarded as the most aspiring foreign and economic policy initiative of President Xi’s legacy. At the same time, Beijing has the overarching objective to achieve its geopolitical goals by economically binding China’s neighbouring countries through this initiative. Some Scholars are cynical regarding the success of BRI as planned by President Xi’s administration, urging caution for both China and the countries involved. President Xi’s exceptional overt emphasis on protecting China’s national interests that transpired into their newly formed foreign policy approaches has demonstrated that China’s commitment to peaceful development is not without conditions. China’s commitment to a peaceful rise will also be further conditioned by the many externalities, namely international and regional interest, domestic priorities, security dilemmas, power conflict, and conflicting core national interests from participating members, which in turn can be reciprocated with antagonistic strategi...
Political Observer – Revista Portuguesa de Ciência Política , 2020
Abstract The “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) is a massive infrastructure investment plan with a long-lasting strategic rational in its essence, namely the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) imply potential political consequences on the geopolitical basis and the regional balance of power, given that China-Pakistan relations converge on a common adversary — India. Nevertheless, China-Pakistan relations converged in the CPEC brings strategic assets for both of them, mostly to China, addressing the fact that this project implies a big shift of strategic Chinese thought, in the sense that it envisions alternative routes for the energy resources transportation, trade and, all together, Chinese influence in the Central Asia and Middle East area, at the same time, bringing development with consequences to these countries. Altogether, CPEC, and BRI in general, makes India very aware and apprehensive of this reality and the power shift of the regional balance of power to China, making the former respond with projects of its own. So, the strategic thought of China materialized by BRI will have serious consequences to the region, mostly to India. Keywords: BRI; CPEC; China-Pakistan-India relations; strategic thought
BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PAKISTAN
2022
Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is primarily aimed at strategic interconnectedness of Asia, Europe and Africa and regional economic connectivity in South Asia, East, West and Central Asia by maintaining connection among partner countries in highly interconnected globalised World. Pakistan's integration into BRI through CPEC can play a vital role in terms of regional economic and political development encompassing variety of opportunities for Pakistan. This Chinese initiative will diffuse geopolitical rivalries, giving leverage to geo-economics over geo-politics in South Asian region. BRI also poses multiple and critical geo-strategic challenges for the region especially for Pakistan. The objectives of the study are to explore the possible outcomes of Belt and Road Initiative, Prospects of regional economic developments, Challenges and Opportunities for the region especially for Pakistan. The study brings out the emerging trends concerning primacy of the geo-economics over geopolitics albeit in the nascent stage amid CPEC. The challenges likely to be faced by Pakistan by these developments would equally present numerous opportunities. These, if capitalised through prudent policies and execution would enhance strategic relevance of Pakistan among comity of nations. The paper attempts to proffer relevant policy level recommendations for the implementation.
BRIQ, 2020
The Belt- Road Initiative (BRI) is a global project that connects China to other parts of the world, such as Europe, Asia and Africa, by land and sea. China's goal in launching this project is to expand its trade links to the rest of the world and to find a common ground in the global equation. The BRI is one of the manifestations of China's emerging power that will pose serious challenges to US hegemony. It is expected that the implementation of this project will not only increase China's influence and power in the regional and international arena, but also pave the way for Asia's economic development and increase its political and economic power around the globe. In this regard, the main questions of the article are: What are the salient characteristics of this project? What are the main challenges posed by the US? We suggest that the BRI will provide a golden opportunity for China to become a regional hegemon in Asia and then a hegemon in global level. Meanwhile, the US has resorted to tough measures to prevent China from becoming a hegemon by putting economic, political and financial obstacles in the way of BRI.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Global Politics and Implications
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development project that ambitiously aims to connect Asia with European and African continents through land and sea corridors. China adopted this gigantic game-changing master plan in 2013 and spurred much speculation among scholars and policymakers worldwide. This article investigates the development of the project through the lens of global political geography and economy. From an international relations perspective, the author consults relevant pieces of literature and focuses on the international issues and events concerning the development of the project using concepts of ideas, interests, and institutions within the scope of geopolitics and political economy. The analysis is performed by reviewing critical events and arguments related to the ideas, interests and institutions evolving around the implementation of BRI. Drawing from the analysis, the author argues that the rise of China as a dominant global superpower largely depends on the success of the BRI, and this initiative will continue to generate politics among the international actors, multinational entities, and institutions. Despite widespread speculations, the project poses a substantive threat to the USA's global dominance and is likely to create more global development cooperation under Chinese leadership and vision.
International Journal of Business & Economic Development
The fundamental theme of 'economic growth driven concept' introduced by China through 'Belt and Road Initiative' is to connect the business world in the contemporary environments of today and in times to come. Business and trade are fundamental to all economic pursuits of communities and societies. The people being more quality consciousness are looking for better, affordable and easily available products. This implies that in times to come, firms producing goods and services would require to be more competitive, innovative and agile to come up-to the standards of consumers. That is possible when they are better connected in people to people and state dimensions for sustaining growth of business and trade. The spirit behind Chinese Initiative of creating a network of roads and track appears to be idealized for mutual businesses where all stakeholders have win-win positions. The economic and social growth is the idea behind this initiative and countries especially those involved through corridors have very important roles to play for its ultimate success. 'Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has two main components; one is 'Silk Road Economic Belt' and second 'Maritime Silk Road' covering land and sea voyage respectively. It covers Europe, Africa, Eurasia, Middle east, South East Asia and East Asia. Pakistan becomes its part through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The paper aims at analyzing BRI with respect to its economic benefits to the states and social cohesion through business communications and interactions. It is based on secondary data about BRI and related economic corridors. Its analysis is based on mix methodology, corroborating quantitative and qualitative aspects. In its findings, the paper provides avenues of socioeconomic developments of participating states and implications on cultural aspects as well as challenges. In its concluding parts, it also invites further studies to continue providing more academic insights to the readers.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Implications for the Middle East
Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2018
This article examines the geopolitical and economic implications of the Belt and Road Initiative for the Middle East. It locates the BRI within the region's politics and examines the opportunities that the initiative offers for the region, as well as its inherent risks and challenges. It argues that the BRI is not merely an economic project as framed by Beijing, but that it represents a new stage in China's engagement with the region, and-if fully implemented-could have wide geopolitical implications. The Middle East has the potential to contribute immensely to China's sustained growth by addressing its energy security, supporting China's role as a 'megatrader', and, more importantly, driving China's efforts to become a global maritime power and monetary power by internationalizing the Renminbi (RMB). Thus, the BRI could have wide implications for the Middle East. Far from being a win-win project for all, the BRI will likely benefit some countries in the region more than others. Iran stands ready to benefit most. The BRI will likely increase the strategic importance of the Suez Canal and could potentially undermine the importance of some logistic hubs in the Middle East in favour of other trade hubs in Central Asia. Launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) is a comprehensive long-term strategic project that seeks to integrate Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa through a land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and a Maritime Silk Road (MSR). It signals a new emerging trend in China's foreign economic policy and has been described by Beijing as the third round of China's opening after the development of Special Economic Zones in the 1980s and accession to the WTO (in 2001). 1 Although Beijing deliberately avoids specifying the initiative's membership, many sources have highlighted that the BRI includes 65 countries, 4.4 billion people, about 40 per cent of global GDP and 70 per cent of the world's energy reserves (European Parliament 2016). Wu (2015) described the initiative as 'the most significant and far-reaching initiative that China has ever put forward'. China is implementing it as a broad conceptual development framework that aims to contribute to greater connectivity and economic integration through a diversity of activities and projects, some of which had already begun prior to 2013. Beijing has signed Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) with more than 30 countries, all of which have pledged to jointly implement the BRI, and, as of the time of writing (May
Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Geopolitical Challenges
Journal of China and International Relations, 2020
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an extremely new and fast-moving project which, as part of a strong effort toward consolidating Chinese power on the international stage, has faced a series of challenges, suspicions and criticisms (especially from Western analysts). What China is proposing is more than a revolutionary infrastructure project. It represents, without doubt, an ambitious geopolitical plan which challenges geopolitical analysis itself. This paper, therefore, presents a theoretical review of geopolitics in order to analyze one of the main projects of the BRI: the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), identifying the challenges relative to comprehending not only the initiative but also Sino-Pakistani relations based on recent experience. While the use of classical theories, such as retrieving the concept of heartland, has proven inadequate, new propositions, such as the concept of geoeconomics, provide analytical support that is better suited to this new geopolitic...