scholarly journals The Belt and Road Initiative as a tool for promoting EU-China trade. Poland’s case

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-40
Author(s):  
Alina Szypulewska-Porczyńska
Keyword(s):  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Railway Transport ◽  
China Trade ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the study is to evaluate the potential role of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for promoting EU – China trade, and especially Poland – China trade. We test two hypotheses: 1) Non-tariff barriers (NTBs), particularly related to railway transport, are significant for Poland – China trade, and 2) Poland – China trade fits railway transport well. Therefore, we start with a study of the significance of tariff and non-tariff barriers in mutual trade relations, including transport-related barriers. NTBs are mainly derived from the EU Market Access database, and as for transport-related barriers – the logistics performance index (LPI) is used. As the next step, we study the composition of bilateral trade in static and dynamic terms using the OECD TiVA database. In the light of the significant increase in NTBs on EU manufacturing products exported to China and the railway transport infrastructure performance in Poland, the BRI could become an effective tool for improving the business environment for EU exporters. By contrast, the BRI project is more suitable for China and the EU as a whole than for Poland in terms of commodity structure of bilateral trade.

scholarly journals Trade and Infrastructure in the Belt and Road Initiative: A Gravity Analysis Based on Revealed Trade Preferences

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Cristina Di Stefano ◽  
P. Lelio Iapadre ◽  
Ilaria Salvati
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Model ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Total Trade ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Trade Preferences ◽  
Entire Network ◽  
The Belt And Road

This paper aims at investigating whether and how the intensity of trade between a pair of countries changes when they experience improvements in their infrastructural systems. We carry out our analysis considering countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project specifically designed to promote infrastructural connectivity and therefore boost trade among the countries involved. Our empirical strategy relies on a particular specification of the gravity model, in which the dependent variable consists in an index of revealed trade preferences, calculated by comparing the actual value of trade flows between two countries with their expected value, proportional to the two countries’ total trade. Such methodology allows us to estimate bilateral trade intensity without resorting to the traditional “size” variables of the gravity model, taking the entire network of multilateral trade into account. We then study the possible impact of an improvement in infrastructure on a ‘gravity-adjusted’ measure of trade preferences, given by the residuals of our first estimations. Our results indicate that bilateral preferences among BRI countries will intensify inasmuch as they succeed in coordinating their infrastructural projects.

scholarly journals Impact of Transport Infrastructure on Gross Regional Products: Evidence from Chinese Provinces under the “Belt and Road Initiative”

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-45
Author(s):  
Jin-Hui Li ◽  
Chol-Ju An ◽  
Gwang-Nam Rim
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
Development Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Belt And Road

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”.

scholarly journals Prospects for Science and Technology Cooperation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Portugal under the Belt and Road Initiative

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaming Liang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Maritime Silk Road ◽  
Technological Cooperation ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
The Eu

President Xi, focusing on building a new pattern of all-round opening up to the outside world and promoting the common prosperity and progress of all countries, put forward a major proposal for the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the maritime Silk Road in twenty-first Century. The bay area economy, as an important coastal economic form, is the highlight of the current international economic map, and is a significant symbol of the world's first-class coastal city. The international first-class bay areas, such as New York Bay area, San Francisco Bay area and Tokyo Bay area, are characterized by openness, innovation, livability and internationalization. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has four world-class cities, name Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao, and the Pearl River Delta city cluster. It has an open economic structure, efficient resource allocation ability, strong agglomeration and spillover function and development international communication network plays a core function of leading innovation and gathering radiation. It is an important growth pole for promoting the economic development of the maritime Silk Road and a leader in technological change. With the help of Portugal's geographical position on the maritime Silk Road and market access advantages within the EU system, the Greater Bay Area should further deepen scientific and technological cooperation, improve the ability of scientific and technological innovation of both sides, let the scientific research subjects of the bay area help Portugal's scientific and technological development, and enhance Portugal's scientific and technological position in the EU. From the perspective of the Belt and Road Initiative, combined with the basic situation and cooperation of China, especially Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and the development of science and technology in Portugal, this article explores the technological fields, policy measures that are suitable for scientific and technological cooperation between the two sides, and puts forward corresponding suggestions to contribute to the technological development of China, Portugal and the global economic and social sustainable development.

GMS Economic Corridors Under the Belt and Road Initiative

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-206
Author(s):  
Masami Ishida
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Yunnan Province ◽  
Lao Pdr ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Belt And Road

The government of China promotes the development of expressways and high-speed expressways in Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and tries to connect the major cities of the subregion and Kunming under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). First, this article reviews the development schemes in the subregion including GMS economic cooperation and the BRI. Next, it introduces the development of the transport infrastructure, including expressways and high-speed railways, connecting Kunming and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. Thereafter, it compares the total costs of the projects and how other GMS countries negotiate with China. Seeing the sections of the expressways and railways in Yunnan Province, the shares of some sections occupied by bridges and tunnels are higher than 20 per cent due to the mountainous land feature of Yunnan Province. On the other hand, the railway in Lao PDR passes through the mountainous areas, and they adopted higher specification as same as in Yunnan Province. Consequently, the debt-default risk of Lao PDR has increased. On the other hand, Thailand repeated tough negotiations with China and made efforts not to increase the total cost. The negotiations of Lao PDR and Thailand with China are illustrated in this article. JEL Codes: O18, R10, R41, R58

scholarly journals The European Union and China Foreign Direct Investment Cooperation in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-93
Author(s):  
D. Potapov
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Belt And Road Initiative ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Common ◽  
National Governments ◽  
The Belt And Road ◽  
The Eu

The article analyses the foreign direct investment cooperation between the European Union and the People’s Republic of China under the Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative is proposed by China and is aimed at developing cross-regional transport and logistics infrastructure connecting China with South-East, South and Central Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Europe. The author examines the history of the initiative and its assessments by international organizations (e.g. the World Bank and the ESCAP UN) and investigates the structure and statistics of the EU-China investment relations, basing on the examples of the most important China’s investment partners (including France, Italy, Germany and the Vishegrad Group countries). The discrepancy between the conditions for the EU and the Chinese investors is highlighted. The author defines and characterizes the major models of the Belt and Road projects’ development, which are used by China in cooperation with the EU Member States. The EU investors in China face restrictions imposed by the national regulation of foreign investments. In particular, the external investors do not have access to the sectors crucially important for national interest and security (e.g. high-tech sectors and mass media). At the same time, Chinese investors’ access to the EU financial markets is not limited, allowing them to become important shareholders in the EU companies and to transfer technologies. It raises concerns within national governments and the European Union itself. The national governments are establishing and adopting screening mechanisms for foreign direct investments and additional regulations to control important sectors and enterprises. At the same time, the EU Member States are developing a common view on the prospects and mechanisms of cooperation with China under the Belt and Road initiative. The EU countries have not yet reached a consensus upon the Belt and Road initiative and the prospects of the EU participation in it, so the author focuses on the strategies of the examined countries. Germany is calling for a common position for all the EU member states and advocates for using the EU-based mechanisms and platforms for cooperation with China. Such demands are also connected with the promotion of a common EU investment screening mechanism in order to protect the Member States’ interests and security. Italy is deepening its cooperation with China through bilateral mechanisms, mainly based on a memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road initiative. France, on the one hand, shares the common interest with Germany regarding the need for the common EU policy towards the Chinese initiative, but on the other hand, the country is deploying new projects with China. The Visegrad Group states are forging their ties with China through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms and they are interested in the growth of Chinese investment inflows. This undermines the unanimity of policy towards China and the Belt and Road.

scholarly journals Chinese Investment in Transport Infrastructure in the EU: a Stimulus for Development of Bilateral Trade?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 152-169
Author(s):  
K. A. Gemueva
Keyword(s):  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Optimal Transport ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Chinese Investment ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Port Facilities ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, particular importance is attached to transport networks development projects, including the creation of optimal transport routes and reorientation of existing supply chains based on the interests of China. This implies the active participation of Chinese companies in investing, financing and implementing projects in the field of transport infrastructure. The article examines the impact of Chinese investment in EU transport infrastructure facilities on the volume of freight traffic between China and the EU through these facilities. Most of the real Chinese investment are directed to the development of port facilities. European airports are also of great interest to Chinese investors, however, under the influence of many factors, only a few projects are successful. China is making significant efforts to establish direct rail links with EU countries. Nevertheless, the share of this type of transport is not yet comparable with freight turnover by sea and air, and future development is limited by a number of factors. Currently, COSCO’s investment in the Greek port of Piraeus is the only example of a significant increase in cargo turnover between China and the EU through an infrastructure under control, however, some ongoing projects could potentially repeat the success of COSCO in the near future. The author concludes that the approaches of the Chinese leadership to the transport infrastructure development are varied. Failures in the implementation of separate projects and the cautious attitude of Brussels towards Chinese investments do not stop China’s planned efforts focused on the long term perspective.

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