The Belt and Road as political technology: Power and economy in Pakistan and Tajikistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 834-839
Author(s):  
Hasan H Karrar ◽  
Till Mostowlansky
Keyword(s):  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Political Technology ◽  
Road Narratives ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
Authority Structures

While celebrated as a new ‘win-win’ initiative, Belt and Road narratives sidestep the fact that current investment regimes originating in China must contour to existing political economies in host countries. Drawing on the examples of Pakistan and Tajikistan, both of which share land borders with China, and both of which have been eager recipients of recent Chinese investments, we forward two arguments: (1) In both countries the narrative of connectivity promoted through the Belt and Road Initiative builds on previous bilateral engagements with China. (2) Within Pakistan and Tajikistan, engagement with China has enabled the utilization of BRI as a political technology for domestic purposes, with the attempt to rule, re-define, order and exploit. Put differently, new investments from China serve to consolidate existing authority structures.

scholarly journals The Belt and Road Initiative: China’s New Geopolitical Strategy?

2018 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 327-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhexin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
International Environment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Cooperation Strategy ◽  
Peaceful Development ◽  
The Belt And Road

Since its launch in late 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has achieved many tangible results that may have lasting effect on the social and economic development of host countries and on the geopolitical dynamics of the world. Its emergence in international political discourse is changing the basic thinking and logic of traditional geopolitical competition. While Western countries tend to interpret the BRI as part of China’s hidden geopolitical strategy to ultimately rule the world, Chinese and most developing nations see it as China’s international cooperation strategy to enhance global connectivity, communication and cooperation, so as to foster a more balanced and equitable world system. To maintain a favorable international environment for further progress of the BRI, China needs to better explain the details concerning the initiative as well as its role in the country’s grand strategy of peaceful development. Meanwhile, China must keep striving to match its words with its deeds in global arenas, so as to win more trust and support from the international community in jointly implementing the initiative.

scholarly journals Why CBA and NIMBY Syndrome Are Important Challenges to China’s BRI?

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114
Author(s):  
Quah Euston ◽  
Iuldashov Nursultan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Jel Codes ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

The purpose of this article is to make a preliminary assessment of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the context of environmental impacts and arising not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) opposition in host countries. We discuss the use of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in developing countries (most members of BRI) and application of the available conflict-resolution mechanisms to deal with siting issues. We review these instruments and suggest a way forward for BRI NIMBY projects. JEL Codes: O53, R58

scholarly journals China’s Belt and Road Initiative

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 03-17
Author(s):  
Suresh T. Gopalan
Keyword(s):  
Silk Road ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
The Road ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Ancient Silk Road ◽  
Capital Construction ◽  
Territorial States ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
Authority Structures

The  Belt and  Road initiative announced by China’s President Xi Jinping has introduced a novel economic model that seeks to shift the site and purpose of development outside China. The initiative proposes the construction of a series of transportation platforms along the ancient Silk Road that connected China with Central Asia, Europe and West Asia.  This outward thrust of investment and capital construction envisages significant reduction of distance and in spatial barriers between and China and the world that will form the road traversing different geographies of nations, territories and cultures. I call China’s Belt and  Road initiative a transnational development model as it aims to coordinate factors of economic circulation across different national spaces controlled by different governance models, legal norms and political contingencies. Centuries ago when the original trading route of the Chinese Silk Road was formed, this overland route was a contiguous territory where boundaries remained too fluid for any authorities to impose its will. But today the Silk Road is an imagined geography as this route is controlled by sovereign national territorial states having effective authority structures over each of these units. The initiative then requires China to entail a broad-based economic coordination with a diverse governance systems. My paper will explore how the transnational scope of the  Belt and  Road initiative come to negotiate diverse authority structures in particular national contexts.

scholarly journals Has the Belt and Road Initiative Brought New Opportunities to Countries Along the Routes to Participate in Global Value Chains?

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402090208
Author(s):  
Zhiheng Wu ◽  
Guisheng Hou ◽  
Baogui Xin
Keyword(s):  
Global Value Chains ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Significant Positive Effect ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
The Belt And Road

Using the data of 40 host countries during 2010 to 2017, we investigate whether the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought new opportunities to countries along the routes to participate in global value chains (GVCs). We employ a difference-in-differences (DID) method with propensity score matching (PSM) to solve the self-selection bias problem. The results indicate that BRI has a significant positive effect on promoting the countries along the routes to participate in GVCs, and the effect is lagging and fluctuant. Specifically, we find that the promotion effects are particularly significant in the second year of the BRI’s implementation. The heterogeneity analysis of Belt and Road (BR) countries shows that there remains a significant positive effect on developing BR countries as before, while the opposite is true for developed BR countries.

scholarly journals OFDI Agglomeration and Chinese Firm Location Decisions under the “Belt and Road” Initiative

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyue Liu ◽  
Jie Jiang ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Xiaolan Chen
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Firm Location ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Chinese Firms ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Agglomeration Effect ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

This paper established a combined dataset from 2004 to 2015 for 129 host countries and matched them with 1193 Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) events by Chinese listed firms. Four variables were designed to proxy the agglomeration effects of Chinese OFDI at both an industry and country level. Probit and FGLS estimation methods were used to analyze whether the Chinese listed firm location choices were affected by the agglomeration level. It was found that the agglomeration effect of Chinese OFDI on host country selection was obvious, as Chinese firms were often found to follow other Chinese firms and invest in host countries where Chinese investment was concentrated; however, it was also found that Chinese firms did not choose countries where there was a high concentration of non-Chinese FDI. The agglomeration effect on Chinese OFDI industry selection was also significant. Firms were found to invest in industries that already had large Chines OFDI agglomeration or high host-country industrial agglomeration. Further investigations found that the “Belt and Road” Initiative (BRI) was effective in guiding location decisions. Firms were found to invest more along the “Belt and Road” route after the BRI was launched; however, large State-owned listed firms with higher leverage but lower productivity and profitability were found to more often invest along the BRI routes.

The Belt and Road Initiative and Sino-Russian economic cooperation: Is there one more chance for us?

2019 ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
Petr M. Mozias
Keyword(s):  
Regional Integration ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Flexible Framework ◽  
The One ◽  
International Transactions ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
Current Stage

China’s Belt and Road Initiative could be treated ambiguously. On the one hand, it is intended to transform the newly acquired economic potential of that country into its higher status in the world. China invites a lot of nations to build up gigantic transit corridors by joint efforts, and doing so it applies productively its capital and technologies. International transactions in RMB are also being expanded. But, on the other hand, the Belt and Road Initiative is also a necessity for China to cope with some evident problems of its current stage of development, such as industrial overcapacity, overdependence on imports of raw materials from a narrow circle of countries, and a subordinate status in global value chains. For Russia participation in the Belt and Road Initiative may be fruitful, since the very character of that project provides us with a space to manoeuvre. By now, Russian exports to China consist primarily of fuels and other commodities. More active industrial policy is needed to correct this situation . A flexible framework of the Belt and Road Initiative is more suitable for this objective to be achieved, rather than traditional forms of regional integration, such as a free trade zone.

Belt and Road Initiative: Analysis of Possible Effects on Nigeria’s Economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (06) ◽  
pp. 20475-20182
Author(s):  
Ige Ayokunle O ◽  
Akingbesote A.O
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
International Economic ◽  
International Cooperation ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
International Economic Cooperation ◽  
R Project ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Belt And Road

The Belt and Road initiative is an important attempt by China to sustain its economic growth, by exploring new forms of international economic cooperation with new partners. Even though the B&R project is not the first attempt at international cooperation, it is considered as the best as it is open in nature and does not exclude interested countries. This review raised and answered three questions of how the B&R project will affect Nigeria’s economy?  How will it affect the relationship between Nigeria and China? What could go wrong?, The review concluded that Nigeria can only benefit positively from the project.

The Belt and Road Initiative: Goals and Challenges

2020 ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Adnan Khalaf i Hammed Al-Badrani ◽  
Hind Ziyad Nafeih
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Power Lines ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Ancient Silk Road ◽  
Main Engine ◽  
The Belt And Road

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document