Geopolitics of Chabahar Port for Iran, India and Afghanistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 026272802110559
Author(s):  
Ali Omidi ◽  
Gauri Noolkar-Oak

In January 2016, Iran, India and Afghanistan signed a trilateral economic agreement on developing the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran. This project holds immense economic and geopolitical value for both Iran and India. Chabahar, as Iran’s first deep water port, connects it to oceanic trade routes. This helps Iran to mitigate US sanctions and sustain trade relations with neighbours and independent states such as India. For India, Chabahar is the key point of the ‘International North–South Transport Corridor’, an ambitious project connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. The article analyses the geostrategic, economic and trade-related importance of Chabahar port from both Iranian and Indian perspectives. This Iranian–Indian trade co-operation is considered a strategic alternative, if not a rival, to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whose key point is the Gwadar port in Pakistan, next door to Chabahar.

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 732-742
Author(s):  
Elena A. Egorycheva

Over the past decades, Russia and China have been steadily deepening their cooperation. It is seen in many fields: mutual trade agreements, investment and scientific cooperation, ecological and environment solutions to global issues. Russia is actively engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are engaged in it as well. Some of them are also members of the Eurasian Economic Union. The paper aimed to identify China’s and Russia’s current interests in these countries, as Central Asia (CA) is the area where Russia’s and China’s interests coincide. Trade relations between the analyzed countries are considered in it. The paper also addresses investment projects under Belt and Road Initiative, which China has been financing in CA countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-57
Author(s):  
Gaziza Shakhanova ◽  
Jeremy Garlick

The Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a key partner in China’s Belt, and Road Initiative (BRI), since it comprises the majority of territories which the BRI’s overland route, the Silk Road Economic Belt, needs to traverse as it crosses Central Asia on the way to Europe. The goal of this article is to explore the BRI in the context of BRI–EAEU coordination. The first part of the analysis focusses on the ways the Eurasian Economic Commission delineates the “Greater Eurasian Partnership” and counterposes it against China and the BRI. Then, the article compares two sets of interpretations of the BRI and “Greater Eurasian Partnership” obtained from interviews with elites in Kazakhstan and Russia. The interviews indicate that the BRI has had a much more forceful impact on local elites than Russia’s idea of “Greater Eurasian Partnership.”


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Vivien Kitty Molnár ◽  
Dechun Huang ◽  
Md. Ekram Hossain

From the middle of 90’s, the bilateral trade between China and Europe and Central Asia (EU-CA) has become more important in the world trade. In 2013, the Chinese government introduced its new economic policy, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which opened a new are of the world trade’s history. This paper is attempt to measure strength and nature of bilateral trading relationship between China and EU-CA. Furthermore, we are looking for the answer how the BRI is affecting on the studied countries’ economies. Many statistical indices can be used to measure international trade relations. This paper has used one such index such as trade intensity. Trade intensity indices have been calculated for the period from 1997 to 2017. Described intensity indices of bilateral trade relations, both countries will help determine how intensively countries that trade with each other. Thus, this study found that intensity between two countries is high and the BRI did not increase the trade intensiveness between China and EU-CA as we were expecting.


Author(s):  
K.Kh. Zoidov ◽  
◽  
A.A. Medkov ◽  

The monograph provides a comprehensive scientific review and analysis of the main approaches to the problem of the evolutionary development of transport and transit systems (TTS) and the interface of infrastructure and integration projects in order to form the Greater Eurasian partnership (GEAP). The research uses methods of system analysis, evolutionary and institutional theory, and the theory of industrial and technological balance, expert assessments and historical approach. It is shown that in General, the international research community does not conduct comprehensive studies of the functioning of the transit economy as an independent economic system that can become the basis of the country's economic development. Individual studies of market conditions or, conversely, historical and economic trends are conducted. The review of scientific approaches and opinions of Russian and foreign researchers on the implementation of the Republic of China "Belt and Road" initiative (BAR), the analysis of threats and risks that it can bring to participating countries, and the description of alternative infrastructure integration projects and development programs. It is noted that the research community has three options for considering the infrastructure integration project PIP, such as the construction of a network of routes for Euro-Asian transport; including a comprehensive mechanism for China's external expansion and international trade relations to solve domestic problems; creating a global political, social, economic, and cultural space based on the movement of energy, goods, technologies, and competencies. Transport and construction, organizational and institutional problems of infrastructure support for the formation of GEAP are identified. It is proved that at present only the Chinese BAR initiative can become an effective basis for the evolutionary development and integration of infrastructure and integration projects in the Greater Eurasia area. A scientific review of possible ways to use the Chinese BAR initiative for the formation of GEAP with the leading participation of Russia is given. The most effective forms and methods of combining alternative BAR infrastructure integration projects and the formation of GEAP for the development of the TTS of Russia are identified. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the main directions of the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and measures to combat it on the functioning of the global transport and logistics system in the context of key routes of trade routes and modes of transport, to determine the place and role of Russian communications and transport and logistics companies in servicing the functioning of trade routes in the new reality. It is shown that in ensuring global economic relations, the pandemic has further strengthened the competitive advantages of railway transport as a low-traffic transport technology in relation to the volume of transported goods, especially along the Euro – Asian trade routes on the China – Russia-Europe route.


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