scholarly journals The BRI and China’s Soft Power in Europe: Why Chinese Narratives (Initially) Won

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-81
Author(s):  
Richard Turcsanyi ◽  
Eva Kachlikova

The article aims to contribute to our understanding of China’s soft power in Europe and the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in this regard. We conduct analyses of two leading newspapers in the United Kingdom, in Spain, and in Poland to discover how the BRI was framed there in the period from mid-2013 to mid-2017. The empirical results show that the media reported about the initiative quite positively – especially compared to the general media picture of China in Europe – and to a considerable extent followed Chinese narratives of economic opportunities while overlooking geopolitical and security worries. Theories of “journalistic routines” and linguistic “affective sticking points” will be suggested as possible explanations of these dynamics, highlighting both the fact that Chinese narratives outnumbered European ones in the initial period quantitatively, and were able to offer something that resonated with the audience qualitatively.

Author(s):  
Adnan Khalaf i Hammed Al-Badrani ◽  
Hind Ziyad Nafeih

The Belt and Road Initiative is an initiative to revive the ancient Silk Road, through networks of land and sea roads, oil and gas pipelines, electric power lines, the Internet and airports, to create a model of regional and international cooperation.       It is essentially a long-term development strategy, launched by the Chinese president in 2013 to become the main engine of Chinese domestic policy and foreign diplomacy and within the framework of the soft power strategy, to enhance its position and influence in the world as a peaceful and responsible country.   The study includes identifying the initiative and setting goals for China, as well as the challenges and difficulties that hinder the initiative.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 5-18
Author(s):  
Zahid Shahab AHMED ◽  
Ahsan HANIF ◽  
Baogang HE

This article conducts a case study of China’s influence on Pakistan by collecting and analysing news coverage from two prominent English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan for a five-year period between 2013 and 2018. It compares the changes in newspaper reporting before and after the launch of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2015. Analysis has shown a significant increase in positive reporting on the CPEC and China. The case of Pakistan is representative of its recognition of China’s soft power in a developing country, thus offering a new perspective on China’s goodwill vis-à-vis the Belt and Road Initiative.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-45
Author(s):  
Jin-Hui Li ◽  
Chol-Ju An ◽  
Gwang-Nam Rim

Purpose: This paper analyzes the impact of transport infrastructure on Gross Regional Products in Chinese provinces under the “Belt and Road Initiative”. Methods: The impact of the key elements of transport infrastructure on Gross Regional Products is analyzed based on the data related to development levels of transport infrastructure and economic development. Correlation and regression analyses were used for data analysis. Results: It is found that railways and highways, which are the key elements of transport infrastructure, have a strong correlation with Gross Regional Products, and their effects are diverse among provinces under study. Implications: The findings demonstrate the position and role of diverse infrastructural elements in enhancing the economic benefits of infrastructural investment and promoting economic growth. Thus, it is expected to facilitate decision-making related to infrastructural investment under the “Belt and Road Initiative”.


2021 ◽  
Vol 275 ◽  
pp. 02023
Author(s):  
Jing Zheng

Based on the panel data of 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2008 to 2018, this paper adopts DID method to verify the impact of “the Belt and Road initiative” on pollution level of these cities, the results are still robust through the placebo test and PSM-DID, the mechanism is also analyzed. The study found that “the Belt and Road initiative” has a significant effect on the emission of wastewater, waste gas and dust of cities in China; the mechanism test shows that “the Belt and Road initiative” has significantly reduced urban environmental pollution by promoting foreign investment, upgrading industrial structure and technological innovation.


Entropy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Liao ◽  
Xiao-Min Huang ◽  
Alexandre Vidmer ◽  
Yi-Cheng Zhang ◽  
Ming-Yang Zhou

The Belt and Road initiative (BRI) was announced in 2013 by the Chinese government. Its goal is to promote the cooperation between European and Asian countries, as well as enhancing the trust between members and unifying the market. Since its creation, more and more developing countries are joining the initiative. Based on the geographical location characteristics of the countries in this initiative, we propose an improvement of a popular recommendation algorithm that includes geographic location information. This recommendation algorithm is able to make suitable recommendations of products for countries in the BRI. Then, Fitness and Complexity metrics are used to evaluate the impact of the recommendation results and measure the country’s competitiveness. The aim of this work is to provide countries’ insights on the ideal development direction. By following the recommendations, the countries can quickly increase their international competitiveness.


Asian Survey ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-465
Author(s):  
Filippo Boni ◽  
Katharine Adeney

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is often portrayed as the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. While much attention has been devoted to its geopolitical repercussions, its impacts on Pakistan’s federal system and interprovincial relations have not yet been explored. Organized around interviews conducted in 2015, 2018, and 2019, this article demonstrates that the construction of the economic corridor is acting as a centripetal force in Pakistan’s federal structure, despite the potential for such a large external investment to redress the disparities between provinces.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-354
Author(s):  
Sovinda Po ◽  
Christopher B. Primiano

Abstract Since its creation in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has received ample attention in the media and from government officials and scholars. Many different, and often polarising, views exist on BRI. While some view it as China’s grand strategic goal of remaking the world in its own image, others perceive it as consistent with the international system. Using interviews conducted in Cambodia and an examination of press sources, this article draws from the selectorate theory to examine both why the Cambodian government is siding with China regarding economic ties, specifically regarding BRI, and the impact that is having on popular perception in Cambodia. The small coalition in Cambodia that Hun Sen seeks to placate results in a negative view among a significant segment of the Cambodian populace regarding Cambodia’s relations with China, and Chinese investments in particular.


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