Thursday, January 3, 2019

China's One Belt and One Road Initiative But What about security?

China is trying to establish the world's largest platform named "One Belt One
Road," called by westerners as “Belt & Road Initiative” (McKinsey, 2016). China
would like to create a modern Silk Road with an aim to link first herself with Central
Asia, West Asia, and South Asia. This project started in 2013. In 2015, stated that there
are two main components in the BRI:

1. The first important part of this project is a land-based "Belt". It refers to "Silk
Road Economic Belt". This project will try to link China with Central Asia,
Eastern, and Western Europe.

2. The second important part of this project is "Road. It refers to "21st Century
Maritime Silk Road". This project based on the sea, which connects China to
Europe through the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean
(Jinchen, 2016). It will link China to South East Asia, Africa, and Central Asia.
“Road” project will connect China with Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe over
the sea.

In order to facilitate the formation of the belt and road, a number of agreements
have already been made for this project. China signed bilateral agreements with five
countries: China signed bilateral agreements with Turkey, Hungary, Mongolia, Russia,
and Tajikistan (McKinsey Company, 2016). More than 200 companies have signed a
partnership agreement for this project.

China established the Silk Road Fund in 2014 and donated $ 40 billion to this
fund. At the same time, the PRC provided the establishment of a new bank: This bank
name is the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). This bank will be used to
support the BRI and thought to be like China's Bretton Woods (McKinsey
Company,2016).

China emphasizes that the BRI would integrate the world and provide mutual
"win-win" benefits (Diplomat, 2016). Essentially, the BRI's goal is to build trade routes
between China and countries in Central Asia, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific coast
countries. With this initiative, China tries to connect these countries with China and also
with the rest of the world (Quora, 2017). The BRI tries to connect the PRC to the world
with railways, oil pipelines, electric networks, ports and other infrastructure projects
(Quora, 2017). In other words, this project will become a bridge between China and the
world.



However, this project covers many countries with security problems. For a long time, China's solution to this situation had been discussed in academia. December 19, 2018 New York Times reports that the Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches on a secret proposal to expand Pakistan’s building of Chinese military jets, weaponry and other hardware. 

This agreement shows that China also begins to focus on the security of the project. However, this agreement was interpreted as increasing the military power of China in the region according to the New York Times and other Western newspapers. However, this agreement is the first step of China's security project inside One Belt and One Road Initiative.

In my opinion, this agreement is quite logical. China needs to protect the project in countries with security problems such as Pakistan. It is quite reasonable to make such security agreements in the countries involved in the project. In the future, we can see many more such agreements. 

However, it is too early for the New York Times' concern.The project is quite new and in its current form of the project is still economic and peaceful.

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