One belt one road – how does it affect the Eurasian economic and security issue

Petrovski, Aleksandar and Taneski, Nenad (2019) One belt one road – how does it affect the Eurasian economic and security issue. Contemporary Macedonian Defence – International Scientific Defence, Security and Peace Journal, 19 (37). pp. 69-79. ISSN 1409-8199

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Abstract

China has long posited that common security can be improved through economic development and cooperation. Infrastructure, in turn, is one of the essential foundations of economic development and cooperation—no economically prosperous state has been able to progress without it. As the Chinese people say ‘if you want to be rich, first build a road’. China’s “One Belt, One Road” project is comprised of two components: the Maritime Silk
Road Initiative (MSRI) and the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB)—that were announced separately in 2013. Each component has the potential to transform the global geopolitical landscape through the construction of interrelated infrastructure projects including ports,
highways, railways and pipelines. Large parts of Asia have a critical lack of basic infrastructure such as roads, rail tracks, bridges, airports and power grids, which current national and multilateral developmental
institutions are unable to address.
The MSRI is a geopolitical project that involves a
number of actors (governments, private companies and Chinese state-owned enterprises) at a number of geographic scales (cities, provinces, states and continents). It is an ambitious multi-decade vision to physically, digitally and culturally connect Eurasia, pursue closer Eurasian economic cooperation and mitigate poverty. This grand vision has become the pillar
of President Xi Jinping administration’s foreign policy.
The EU and China both have an interest in promoting
greater connectivity and stability in Eurasia.
In China’s case, this is largely achieved through
its visionary Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). So far,
the EU has given the initiative a welcome and is still thoughtful how to engage it strategically. This is partly because the BRI remains operationally uncoordinated, and
the EU remains concerned about commercial feasibility,
transparency, sustainability and environmental issues.
Moreover, the differences in needs, interests and strategic planning among EU member states in relation to China slow down their common response. While the EU’s cautious approach could certainly lead to a more well-informed and gauged response, an overly long delay may
come at the risk of the EU being left behind as China takes a stronger lead in shaping the Eurasian security.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: China, economy, EU, security, belt, road.
Subjects: Social Sciences > Political Science
Divisions: Military Academy
Depositing User: Nenad Taneski
Date Deposited: 02 Mar 2020 09:16
Last Modified: 02 Mar 2020 09:16
URI: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/23887

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