The Road and Belt Initiative in Malaysia: Challenges and Recommendations

ABSTRACT In recent years, China has expanded its relations with other nations through the Belt and Road Initiative. This initiative was formally introduced after it was launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping. It comprises two components, namely, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, both of which aim to stimulate the acceleration of economic growth in Asia, Africa and Europe. This research attempts to provide a detailed review of the execution of this initiative through empirical studies based on qualitative analysis, which are closely related to BRI implementation in Malaysia. The focus of this research, however, is not limited to studying the viewpoints of leaders and scholars on the initiative; rather, it will also attempt to discuss theBRI’s progress and the obstacles encountered to date from the political aspects of both China and Malaysia. By identifying the potential challenges to come, this research will prove to be significant, as it proposes some comprehensive measures to address and forestall any setbacks that may arise, which may affect the implementation of the BRI between the two nations. Keywords: Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); Malaysia–China relations; Silk Road; China–ASEAN relations; Maritime Silk Road A

Роль Шанхайской организации сотрудничества в развитии транспортного и логистического потенциала стран Центральной Азии

The publication examines actual issues of interstate economic cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the framework of building new transport and communication routes. There was provided the analysis of the SCO normative legal documents in the terms of transport regulation, both road and rail, there were outlined the prospects and opportunities which emerge as a result of the signing of bilateral and multilateral agreements between the members of the Organization. The author describes the current situation of international transport communication routes and also reveals in details the initiatives proposed by Uzbekistan, pointing out his key role in the formation of new Eurasian transit corridors and arteries. Considering the issue of modern Eurasian interstate cooperation mechanisms’conjugation from an standpoint of creating and improving transport and logistics infrastructure, the author notes the possibility of implementing the initiatives of Russia and China on the SCO platform. Combination of such potential integration projects as the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) on the Shanghai Organization platform will create a new model of economic cooperation in the Russia-China-Central Asia triangle. The article also examines the measures taken by the SCO member states to build new and modernize existing road and rail routes on their own territories and on the territory of neighboring states. In the conclusion, it is pointed out that further positive shifts in the developing of the Shanghai Organization transport sector will largely depend on the ability of its participants to take a coordinated policy in the transport and logistics sector.

Caspian Vector of the EAEU Transport and Logistics Policy

One of the goals of the Eurasian Economic Union is the formation of single markets for goods, services, capital and labor resources. A key aspect for the realization of the stated goal is the development of the EAEU transport and logistics potential. The formation of a single transport space, ensuring the free movement of goods and passenger traffic require an expansion of the EAEU participation in main international logistics projects, as well as the achievement of an agreed transport policy of member states. The purpose of this article is to determine the possibilities and limitations of interactions between the EAEU and Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan in the transport and logistics sphere. The article analyses the main directions and objectives of the EAEU transport policy, assesses the dynamics of the main indicators of the Union’s transport activities. The author considered key international transport projects for the EAEU. Logistics programs and corridors that pass through the territories of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan are highlighted: the North-South international transport corridor, the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt interface project, as well as the Central Asian regional economic cooperation programs and the Europe-Caucasus-Asia corridor project. The transit potential of the Caspian region in general and the territories of the represented countries in particular was studied. Analysis of the retrospective of relations of the EAEU with these countries is presented. The main result of the study is a description of promising areas of cooperation, individual projects and formats of cooperation in the transport and logistics sphere between the EAEU and the countries of the southern Caspian Sea. The author concludes that it is necessary to rehabilitate and reactualize the idea of the “Great Eurasian Partnership” in the light of the identified restrictions for the full integration of South Caspian countries into the EAEU.

Philosophical-political comprehension of Eurasia in the context of the Russian project of civilizational development

This article attempts to “objectify” and conceptualize the concept of “Eurasia”, determine its ontological characteristics as the sociopolitical space of development of the Russian civilizational project, as well as delineates the contours of this space within the framework of a project-constructive methodological orientation. The author refers to the history of formation of holistic representations on Eurasia within the scientific thought, giving special attention to the contribution of geopoliticians, and emphasizing the implementation of theoretical provisions in real politics. The empirical basis relies on the two megaprojects that are implemented in practice: the Silk Road Economic Belt initiated by China and the Eurasian Economic Union (which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia), as well as the “Greater Eurasia” as a potential way of their interlink and development of the space for cross-civilizational dialogue on the continent. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) Eurasia is determined both as the goal of the Russian project of civilizational development and as the space it can be realized within. At the same time, the space for the development of Russia-Eurasia is described as the natural environment of the Russian civilizational project, the space of the “primary circle”. Special role is played by the creation and development of the Eurasian Economic Union, which unites the countries that have faced the escalation of nationalist sentiment after the dissolution of the Soviet Union; 2) The “Greater Eurasia” is designated as the “secondary circle” of the Russian civilizational project, a space for continental cooperation, determines by new political reality.  3) Certain zones of civilizational confrontation and contradictions on the continent have been identified. The author believes that the need for conceptualization of the concept at hand lies in the significant sociopolitical formative potential.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Debates, Impacts, and Trends

President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI一带一路) in 2013. The BRI, which will pass through over 60 countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, aims at improving and creating new trading routes and investment opportunities. It consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), and is a continuation of China’s “opening up” policy. It comprises six overland and one maritime economic cooperation corridors, supporting the expansion of Chinese enterprises abroad to facilitate industrial upgrading at home, paving the way for Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and trade abroad, and advancing the internationalization of the Chinese currency. In addition, the project is welcomed by recipient countries due to their need for infrastructure investment. China remains the biggest player in the initiation and implementation of BRI projects. As such, the impact of Chinese projects on the economic, political, cultural, and environmental fabric of host countries will likely be dramatic, especially since many BRI projects are large-scale infrastructure projects that cut across different regions and states. The COVID-19 pandemic further implicated the progress of BRI projects in these areas.

The Potential of a Sino-Lebanese Partnership through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In 2017, Lebanon officially joined this initiative, and thus China will be present on the western shores of Asia. This paper examines Lebanese–Chinese relations and Chinese direct investment in Lebanon. It explores the dilemma of Chinese investment in Lebanon in light of its troubled security, political, and economic situation. The study relies on a qualitative descriptive analysis to address the status of Chinese investment in Lebanon and the consequences of this partnership.