Belt and Road Initiative (eBook)

Foreword: Connectivity with Consent 6
Introduction 9
Contents 23
Notes on Contributors 27
List of Figures 38
List of Tables 40
Part I The Belt and Road Initiative Concept 42
1 The New Silk Roads: Defining China’s Grand Strategy 43
Introduction 43
A Grand Strategy “with Chinese Characteristics”? 44
Grand Strategy on the Ground 47
Chinese Statecraft: Assessing Xi Jinping’s Centrality 49
Inclusive Mobilization of Resources 50
Transactional Power 51
Institutions, Agenda-Setting and Norms 54
China’s Strategic Narrative 56
Conclusion 58
Bibliography 59
2 The Words of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Chinese Discourse for the World? 63
Introduction 63
The Rise of China as an International Player 69
The Belt and Road Initiative as a Chinese Political Project 72
A New Discourse for the World 75
Conclusions 81
Bibliography 81
3 Global Strike vs. Globalization: The US-China Rivalry and the BRI 85
The Basis of American Power 86
America’s Military Supremacy 87
China and Globalization 89
The BRI and Soft Power 94
The BRI as Soft Power 96
The BRI as a Challenge to Western World Order 97
Conclusion: The American Dilemma 99
4 Belt, Road and Ball: Football as a Chinese Soft Power and Public Diplomacy Tool 101
Introduction 101
About the People-to-People Ties… 104
The Plan 106
Sport, Public Diplomacy and Soft Power 108
Football as a Connecting Element 113
The English Connection 114
The Ports Along the Way 115
Sports Tourism and BRI Football Tournaments 116
Conclusion 117
Bibliography 119
5 Understanding China’s “One Belt and One Road” Initiative: An “International Public Goods” Approach 124
Introduction 124
The Debates and Research Question 126
The Conceptualization of International Public Goods (IPGs) 128
IPGs from the Realist Perspective 129
IPGs from the Neoliberal Perspective 130
IPGs from the Institutional Perspective 131
An IPGs Approach to China’s OBOR Initiative 132
Why Is OBOR Public? 132
Why Is OBOR Public Goods? 134
Why Is OBOR International? 135
Empirical Demonstrations 136
OBOR Provides “Direct Utility” 137
OBOR Provides “Risk Reduction” 139
OBOR Provides Infrastructural “Capacity Enhancement” 140
Conclusion: IPGs for an Emerging Chinese World Order? 140
Bibliography 144
6 The Financing of the Belt and Road Initiative: Blessings and Curses 149
Introduction 149
The Boundaries of the Belt and Road Initiative 150
The Objectives of the Belt and Road Initiative 155
The Financing of the Belt and Road Initiative 159
The Dimension 160
The Main Financing 161
The Silk Road Fund 163
Other Contributors 163
The Blessings of the Belt and Road Initiative 165
The Curses of the Belt and Road Initiative 166
The Curses for China 167
The Curses for Participant Members 169
The Curses for Non-participating Countries 171
Some Policy Recommendations 173
Conclusion 176
Bibliography 178
7 BRI—Sustainable, Inclusive Growth, and Financial Sources 186
Introduction 186
Visions of BRI as an Engine of Global Growth Cooperation on Economic Development 189
Rational of BRI Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Premises 191
Conclusion 204
Bibliography 208
8 Environmental Considerations of the Belt and Road Initiative 210
Introduction 210
How Green Are the Banks? 216
Green Bonds 217
Greenness of Banks Investing in BRI 219
AIIB 222
Case Studies 225
Biodiversity and Environment 227
Conclusion 229
Bibliography 231
9 The Chinese Partnerships and “the Belt and Road” Initiative: A Synergetic Affiliation 239
Introduction 239
Building and Developing Chinese Partnerships 243
Implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative 254
How Chinese Partnerships and BRI Contribute to One Another? 259
Conclusion 268
Bibliography 270
Part II The Belt and Road Initiative and the European Union 272
10 The Belt and Road Initiative: A New Platform in EU-China Cooperation? 273
Introduction 273
China and the Western-led World Order 275
The BRI in Sino-European Relations 278
Conclusion 283
Bibliography 285
11 Maritime Cooperation in the European Union-China Relations and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: What is at Stake? 288
Introduction 288
The EU-China Strategic Partnership: A Contextualization 290
EU and China in Maritime Security Cooperation: Evolution and Seminal Experiences 294
EU-China Cooperation in Light of 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Challenges and Opportunities 303
Conclusion 307
Bibliography 309
12 EU Legal Obstacles to the Belt and Road Initiative: Towards a China-EU Framework on the Belt and Road Initiative 315
Introduction 315
The Belt and Road Initiative and the EU 317
The Competence of the EU with Regard to the Belt and Road Initiative 323
The Competence of the EU with Regard to the Trade Dimension of the Belt and Road Initiative 324
The Competence of the EU in the Area of Transport 327
Member State Competence over Belt and Road Initiative Projects on the Basis of Investment Agreements between the Member States and China 333
The New Mechanism on Investment Screening: A Hindrance to the Belt and Road Initiative? 337
Obstacles to the Belt and Road Initiative under EU Procurement Law 342
Conclusion 347
Part III The Belt and Road Initiative and Latin America, North Atlantic, Central Europe and Central Asia 349
13 Latin America and the Caribbean Bring the Western Hemisphere into the Belt and Road 350
Introduction 350
Crossing All Regions and Ideological Divides 352
“If China Can, Why Can’t We?” 353
Boarding the Belt and Road Development Train 354
South America’s “Two Ocean” Railroad 356
Enter China 358
Transforming the Caribbean Basin 361
Toward the Eurasian-American Land-Bridge 363
Where Next? 364
Brazil—Make It or Break It 365
An Intertwined Battle: Mexico and the United States 367
Conclusion 368
Bibliography 370
14 China and the Great Urban Projects in Cabo Verde 373
Introduction 373
Strategic Pillars of Sino-African Relations 374
Cabo Verde-China Relations: Case Study 376
Macau as a Bridge Between Cabo Verde and China’s Interests 379
China and the Great Urban Projects in Cabo Verde 381
The Casino Project: A Turning Point in Cabo Verde-China Relations 384
Conclusion 388
Bibliography 389
15 The Ultimate European Border: The Belt and Road Initiative Discovers Portugal 393
Introduction 393
Conceptualizing Material Borders 395
Conceptualizing De-bordering, Re-bordering and Co-bordering 399
The B& RI: What Are the Impacts on Borders?
Portugal in the B& RI: Which Borders?
Conclusion 413
Bibliography 416
16 China and the Portuguese Atlantic: The BRI’S Last Puzzle Piece 419
Introduction 419
The European Growing Strategic Importance for China 421
The Second Wave of Chinese Investment in Portugal 424
The China’s New Pathways in the Atlantic and the Local Strategic Geography 430
Conclusion 434
Bibliography 435
17 Assessing China’s ‘16+1 Cooperation’ with Central and Eastern Europe: A Public Good Perspective 440
Introduction 440
China’s Vision of Global Public Goods 442
Global Public Good of the 16+1 Cooperation Framework 447
Dominance 450
Reciprocity 452
Identity 454
Conclusion 456
Bibliography 458
18 Germany’s Attitude Towards the Belt and Road Initiative: The Impact of Non-state Actors on German Foreign Policy Towards China 461
Introduction 461
Theoretical Approach and Methods 462
Basic Directions of German Foreign Policy After 1949 466
Framework of German-Chinese Cooperation 468
Economy as the Driving Force for Cooperation in Times of BRI 470
Reservations of German Political and Business Circles 471
Challenges and Expectations of German Industrialists 476
Conclusion 479
Bibliography 480
19 New Silk Road and Prospects for Turkey 486
Introduction 486
Turkey Past Present and Future 486
Turkish Exodus to Anatolia 487
Foundation of Turkish Republic 488
Turkey in Next Century 490
Turkish-Chinese Historical Ties 494
One Belt One Road and Turkey 497
B& RI and Europe
Central Asia, Turkey and B& RI
B& RI USA and Turkey
Turkish Role in B& RI
Bottlenecks for B& RI
The One Belt One Road Project: An Opportunity for Turkey 509
Diversion of Turkish Peripheral Trade Pattern 509
Diminishing Regional Disparities with the B& RI Project in Turkey
B& RI Would Stabilize Regional Security Issues
Geoeconomic Paradigm Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy 511
Bibliography 512
20 Afghanistan and the Belt and Road Initiative 515
Introduction 516
The Political and Diplomatic Front 517
The Economic Relations 525
The Security Relations 532
Conclusion 537
Bibliography 541
21 Facing China in Eurasia: The Russian Perspective 549
Introduction 549
The Russian “Turn to the East” 550
Russian-Chinese Relations 555
Competition Over Central Asian Countries 558
Conclusion 562
References 564
Index 567