This week's Silk Road Headlines
The selected articles of this week portray the Belt & Road Initiative as a prism. The result of what you see depends on your perspective. For the one it means (perceived) prosperity, while for the other it might turn into a hornet's nest. And even for another it is becoming a geopolitical Gordian knot.
For some developed economies the land of milk and honey is only approachable as a transit country. Finland positions itself as an Arctic port and railway station to connect China with (Northern-) Europe. This might mean enhanced cooperation with Russia, despite the current imposed (EU-)sanctions [Finland confirms rail study underway for ‘ice-Silk Road’ link with China, Russia]. And Turkey enters the limelight and displays its economic and strategic value as a regional powerhouse. Yet, the harbour in Pirreaus (Greece) remains untouched in this article [One Belt One Road: Perks and challenges for Turkey]. In both notices, the EU is allotted a narrative role.
For developing economies the effects of OBOR are twofold. On the one hand it could be an economic boost and on the other hand an increase in regional dependency [Laos merely a bystander as China pushes Belt and Road ambitions].
The amiable words that were expressed by China and India at Doklam do not suit recent actions. One might even deduce that the Sino-Indo relationship hit an impasse [‘Managing’ the Dragon]. This Asian 'cold war' might heat up soon. The geopolitical ripples of the CPEC-corridor washed up on the shores of the United States and it responded by strengthening the Indo-US nexus. Thus, it revised its previous position from having reservations over OBOR to publicly opposing it. This disapproval intensified the Sino-Pakistan relationship [CPEC to dominate Tillerson, Mattis trips]. Possible withdrawal of U.S. endorsement of the Iranian nuclear deal might undermine the geopolitical position of India in several ways, e.g. drying up of oil supply from the Persian Gulf and an adverse effect on Sesac or the Cotton Road (India's answer to OBOR) [Donald Trump's Iran gamble could hit India too].
How the depicted Gordian knot will be cut might unfold during the US-Asean Summit in the Philippines and the APEC-meeting in Vietnam in the upcoming month.
Halil Cikmazkara |
To increase awareness of and facilitate the debate on China's Belt and Road Initiative, the Clingendael Institute publishes Silk Road Headlines, a weekly update on relevant news articles from open sources.
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