China’s Integration Projects in Asia-Pacific and Eurasia

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
S. Sevast'yanov

Until recently, only economically developed West-oriented states launched integration initiatives encompassing the entire Asia-Pacific region. However, over the last few years Beijing proposed several such initiatives embracing territories from America to Africa. The paper discusses the changes in Chinese views towards the leadership in modern world. Recent events in Syria, Ukraine, South China Sea and East China Sea made it clear that the world becomes more polycentric, with Russia and China resistant to external interference in the territories of their vital interests. The latest trends in East Asian and Asia-Pacific regionalism are singled out. China and USA have been the main rivals in initiating and supporting competing integration models. China has demonstrated unprecedented activity and launched several integration projects of trans-regional (Asia-Pacific and Eurasia) and on regional levels (East Asia). However, despite its growing geopolitical and economic aspirations, Beijing is not frontally challenging Washington-led system of intergovernmental agreements and financial institutions in Asia. Instead, Beijing is forming an alternative pro-Chinese model of integration without US participation (or with their secondary role) thus trying to gradually transform the Asia-Pacific to post-American hegemony model. President Xi Jinping put forward a concept of “Asia-Pacific Dream”. It incorporates formation of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “New Maritime Silk Road” that will link the economies of Asia, Europe and Africa. By proposing these large scale infrastructure projects and two new regional financial institutions (Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and New Development Bank), the Chinese leadership renewed its global and regional politics, attempting to create a Eurasian “economic corridor” which could serve not only its regional and global interests, but for the common good of whole Asia and the world. Obviously, “New Silk Roads” strategy faces geopolitical and other challenges; yet, even it partial realization would make China a leader of the continental part of Eurasia. In terms of global and regional governance these trends can be strengthened through coordinated policy of Moscow and Beijing towards including these projects into the agenda of non-Western intergovernmental institutions, such as BRICS, SCO, Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), and others. Moreover, strategic cooperation with Russia is one of the principal factors to secure the success of China’s integration plans in the Asia-Pacific and especially in Eurasia. For its part, Moscow should deepen interaction and effectively utilize the resources of “rising” China to support Russia’s interests in Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific. It is necessary for Moscow to coordinate efforts with Central Asian states and China to elaborate co-development plans for infrastructural initiatives put forward by the SCO, EEU and the “Silk Road Economic Belt”. At the same time, Moscow should increasingly encourage Chinese investment into the Russian Far East. Acknowledgements. This article has been prepared in the framework of contract with the RF Ministry of Education and Science “Formation of the New International Order in the Asia-Pacific and National Interests of Russia”, project № 1430.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2636
Author(s):  
Zhanibek ZHARTAY ◽  
Zhibek KHUSSAINOVA ◽  
Gulzhan ABAUOVA ◽  
Botagoz AMANZHOLOVA

The article analyzes the genesis and the potential of the Chinese Program ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’, as well as limiting factors and perspectives of further development. The article explains the dialectical relationship and the dualistic nature of regionalization. The author's hypothesis is based on the idea that the dominant purpose of regional integration as a model of the active participation of the consolidated group of countries in the region in the globalization process of stratification of the world is the desire of the participating countries to take a higher position (stratum) in the global hierarchy, and eliminate the possibility of a drift towards the periphery. The author used the concept of methodological possibilities of the ‘theory of the new regionalism’ and geopolitical doctrine of Eurasianism to explain the background and development of the capacity of the Silk Road Economic Belt, that allow to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the Silk Road Economic Belt functioning, limiting factors and perspectives for its further development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aigul Islamjanova ◽  
Issah Iddrisu ◽  
Rathny Suy ◽  
Dinara Bekbauova ◽  
Amran Said Suleiman

The project “Silk Road Economic Belt” (丝绸之路经济带) launched by the Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 at Astana, Kazakhstan is the most single largest economic project in the world. It is the largest in terms of volume and participation of countries. This paper therefore seeks to examine some of the strategic aspects and possible economic impact to the participation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study focused on the various aspects of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) which have an influence on economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It also analyzed the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt project using Kazakhstan’s Khorgos city economic development as a case. The approach used in this paper is based on an analysis of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) in terms of strengths, opportunities and challenges for the future of China-Kazakhstan Economic Cooperation. The project therefore has many in stock for the economy of Kazakhstan when the necessary measures are put in place to tab the opportunities available.


Author(s):  
A. P. Sukhodolov ◽  
I. V. Anokhov

The article aims at evaluating the One Belt One Road project implemented by China that will define long-term trajectories of the world trade and finance development as well as prospects of Russia’s participation in this project. It seems that the project under consideration is not a full alternative to the existing nowadays world system of railroad and sea shipping both from the viewpoint of the shipping cost and the scope of investment required. A possibility of full-scale refocusing of Russia’s transport systems (the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Northern Sea Route) on the One Belt One Road project is not currently obvious, thus, one cannot state with certainty Russia’s role in this project. Besides, implementing this project results in building in Eurasia a China-centric economy system that does not coincide with the structures built by Russia, i.e. the Eurasian Economic Union, the Customs Union and other ones. At the same time, the One Belt One Road project seems to have no alternatives. None of the other countries has proposed a project that can be compared with the One Belt One Road one in terms of being large-scale, having a global impact as well as long-term effects. It is believed, that after the implementation of the project is complete, the technological and social differences between Europe’s and China’s potentials, which were the reason for shipping goods from Southeast Asia to Europe over the past centuries, will be reduced to a significant extent. In terms of this the China-centric world will have to provide different noneconomic reasons for its existence, i.e. provide the world with new values and meanings of the postindustrial world. In this context Russia’s participating in the One Belt One Road project may appear to be necessary: Russia can act as a project’s security operator, a mediator between China and the countries who are participants of the Silk Road Economic Belt in cases where their interests collide. Russia can also generate values and meanings of economic processes. The safe transportation routes Russia has, i.e. the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Northern Sea Route as well as long-term friendly relations with the countries-participants of the Silk Road Economic Belt and Russia’s being experienced in harmonizing different interests can become the key aspects contributing to success of this project.


THE BULLETIN ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 389 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-103
Author(s):  
A.Yu. Baltabayeva ◽  
A. Abubakirova ◽  
А.О. Syzdykova

The interaction of different political, economic, historical and cultural dynamics of societies play an important role in the emergence of civilizations. The interaction of these dynamics with each other was realized by means of transportation due to reasons such as trade, migration, war, diplomacy. Transportation routes have been the most important element that provides the relationship of space between people and societies through the means that have developed in the historical process. The factor that makes the transportation route valuable and lasting depends on its geopolitical and geostrategic position, on ensuring that the societies carry out their social and economic relations safely. In this context, the oldest and most valuable transportation route in human history is the Silk Road, which covers a large geography from Europe to Asia to Asia to Africa, where many ancient civilizations were born. Along with the increase in the importance of energy resources in recent years, the importance of the Silk Road has increased as a result of the growing role of the countries concentrated in the region along the Silk Road in the world economy. On September 7, 2013, Chinese President XI Jinping delivered an important speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana, calling on China and Central Asia to join the creation of a new "silk road Economic belt". According to some researchers, this project covers the European economic zone from China and the Eurasia and Asia-Pacific economy corridor. China's project to revive the Silk Road has emerged as a result of China's economic and political-based regional and global expectations and concerns, rather than being a utopian initiative. In this study, new projects in the revitalization of the Silk Road were evaluated and the Silk Road Economic Belt project was studied. The environmental threats posed to the region by the world's largest transport project, which is being implemented with the participation of 65 countries, were discussed.


Author(s):  
V. Zubenko ◽  
A. Massalimova

The accelerated economic development of China in recent decades has allowed it to accumulate the potential to multiply its influence in Eurasia and initiate a number of ambitious political and economic projects designed for the long term. The most important of these are the concepts of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the 21st Century Marine Silk Road (UWB), put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in autumn 2013 and subsequently combined under the title "One Belt — one way" as the strategy of China’s foreign economic policy, at least until 2022. Another factor behind the emergence of the SREB concept is the change in China’s foreign economic paradigm and its transition from a country attracting foreign direct investment to a donor country. Therefore, industrial cooperation is an important part of the SREB. In the negotiations of the EAEU countries with China on the integration of the EAEU and the SREB, it is necessary to take into account the interests of the industrial development of the EAEU countries, as well as the possible economic, political, operational and environmental risks that the process of interfacing with the SREB entails. It is necessary that the industrial cooperation of the EAEU countries and China be based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit.


Author(s):  
Klairung Ponanan ◽  
Wachira Wichitphongsa

Chinese government has developed transport infrastructure rapidly under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) strategy. The BRI strategy is China's economic development strategies for expanding trade and cultural influence towards countries in western and eastern regions, including ASEAN. The development of BRI strategy is consists of two main components i.e., (i) the Silk Road Economic Belt, follows the historical overland Silk Road through Central Asia, Iran, Turkey and eventually to Europe, and (ii) the Maritime Silk Road, originates in the South China Sea, passing through the Malacca Strait, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea and extending into the Mediterranean Sea (Chris & Elizabeth, 2015). Due to the BRI strategy, more than 6000 trains made the journey from China to Europe in 2018, which is an increase of 72% compared to 2017. China has sent more than 11,000 freight trains to Europe and back since the BRI strategy was announced in 2013. Railway networks have been constructed under the BRI strategy for connecting 48 Chinese cities with 42 cities in Europe through Asia. There are many railway infrastructures under the BRI strategy. The China – Laos railway (Vientiane–Boten railway) is one of project under the Silk Road Economic Belt that has been developed for serving as a key infrastructure for the economic corridor between the two countries. In nearly future, this railway will be helped to boost trade, investment and tourism for Lao PDR. and south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Vientiane–Boten railway, especially transportation time will attract both travelers and Logistics Service Providers (LSP), which can be reduced time of journey compared with road mode. In this paper, modal shift potential of travelers and freight on Kunming-Bangkok Highway (R3A), AH2, AH8, AH9, AH10, AH12, AH13, and AH18 have been investigated by considering behavioral aspects of long distance travel. Keywords: Mode Split Model, Modal Shift, Vientiane–Boten railway, Travel Behaviour


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