The Chinese dragon 🐉 is spreading its wings
WTF #8 Belt and Road Initiative: Revival of China's "Bob the Builder" fantasy!
Let’s dive into a historic tale…
A long long time ago, there existed one of the greatest civilizations in the Eastern part of the globe — CHINA.
It was a vast lay of the land, culture, and heritage that comprised all the wonders one might expect to be mystical and progressive too!
Being such a great empire, naturally, it had trade ties with all the other civilizations at the time.
Well, trade required travel, and travel required roads!
This is What The Floww? A weekly newsletter by FinFloww laying knowledge like the Chinese dragon laying its eggs along the silk road.
THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD
The ancient Silk Road of China was a network of trade routes that connected China to the rest of the world, spanning over 4,000 miles from China to the Mediterranean.
This historic trade route connected China to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. It was named after the lucrative trade in silk, one of the main commodities traded along the route. This Road played a significant role in the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures between China and the rest of the world. It contributed to the development of civilizations in the region.
It contributed to the development of cities and towns along the route and the growth of regional and international trade. It facilitated the growth of the merchant class, the development of new industries, and the emergence of new commercial and financial activities.
The Silk Road also played a role in diplomatic relations between China and other countries. Diplomats, scholars, and travellers travelled along the Silk Road, facilitating cultural and political exchanges.
All in all, one could say that this route contributed efficiently to make the Chinese civilization a great civilization having great power on the international front.
But with the passage of time and Western interference, the importance and glory of the Silk Route was lost in time, and with it the magnificence of China as a great empire!
Fast forward to today, if you haven’t been living under a rock then you must know that China is rising again.
We always hear the news that China is playing to be the next big power as compared to the USA, China’s economic boom, China’s political success, and its manufacturing wonder! Etc etc
But what they don’t tell you is — HOW?
Well, when one gains so much success it's usually not a magic trick but a set of impressively planned strategic policies.
One among those was the revival of the Great Silk Route.
REVIVAL OF SILK ROAD: THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE
In recent years, China has launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to revive the historic Silk Road and build new economic corridors across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
The BRI includes both overland and maritime routes, and it involves investments in a wide range of infrastructure projects, such as railways, highways, ports, airports, and pipelines, as well as other areas like telecommunications, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
The new Silk Road initiative is seen as a way for China to extend its economic and geopolitical influence beyond its borders and promote economic development in participating countries.
It is also seen as a way for China to address domestic challenges, such as overcapacity in industries like steel and construction, by exporting excess production capacity to other countries along the Silk Road.
THE MASTER GAME BEHIND CHINA’S BRI
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often considered a strategic mastermind by China because it serves several key strategic goals for the country. Here are some reasons why:
Geopolitical influence: The BRI allows China to extend its economic and geopolitical influence beyond its borders and into key regions around the world. By investing in infrastructure projects in countries along the BRI routes, China gains leverage and influence over these countries, which can help advance its strategic interests.
Economic expansion: The BRI provides China with opportunities to expand its economic reach and tap into new markets for its goods and services. By investing in infrastructure in countries along the BRI routes, China can improve the transportation and logistics networks that connect it to these markets, making it easier and cheaper to do business there.
Resource security: The BRI also helps China secure access to key resources, such as oil and gas, minerals, and agricultural products, that are necessary for its economic growth. By investing in infrastructure and development projects in resource-rich countries along the BRI routes, China can secure long-term access to these resources.
Domestic stability: The BRI is also seen as a way to promote domestic stability and reduce social and economic disparities within China. By investing in infrastructure and development projects in less-developed regions of the country, the BRI can help boost economic growth and reduce poverty, which can help maintain social stability.
The BRI has been met with both praise and criticism. Supporters argue that it has the potential to promote economic development, reduce poverty, and increase regional connectivity and cooperation.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about the potential for debt trap diplomacy, environmental damage, and geopolitical influence by China.
WHY IS CHINA’S BRI A DANGER ALERT FOR INDIA?
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a source of concern for India, primarily due to its potential impact on India's strategic and economic interests. Here are some reasons why the BRI is seen as harmful to India:
⚠️ Strategic Encirclement: India views the BRI as a strategic move by China to encircle and contain India. The BRI includes infrastructure projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which India claims as its own territory. This has further strained India's already tense relationship with Pakistan.
⚠️ Economic Impact: The BRI has the potential to impact India's economic interests negatively. The BRI projects, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), could undermine India's position as a regional economic power and hurt India's connectivity with Central Asia and beyond.
⚠️ Security Concerns: The BRI has raised security concerns for India. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which runs through Pakistan, is seen as a potential security threat to India, as it passes through areas that are susceptible to terrorist attacks. India is also concerned about the strategic implications of China's investment in ports in the Indian Ocean, which could provide China with a strategic foothold in the region.
⚠️ Debt Trap: India is concerned about the potential debt trap that BRI projects could create for participating countries. India has expressed concern that these projects could leave participating countries with unsustainable debt burdens, which could ultimately lead to a loss of sovereignty.
Overall, the BRI is seen as harmful to India's strategic and economic interests, as well as its security concerns.
As a result, India has been cautious in its approach to the BRI and has not joined the initiative.
Instead, India has pursued its own regional connectivity initiatives, such as the International North-South Transport Corridor, to protect its strategic interests.
FUTURE TRAVEL GUIDELINES
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often described as a mega construction project comprising roads, ports, and bridges.
It is a grand connectivity plan integrating physical territory, cyberspace, and the financial arena covering several countries with China at its heart.
It is a strategic mastermind for China because it serves multiple strategic goals simultaneously and helps advance China's long-term economic and geopolitical interests.
But in the wake of world opinion, it has also been criticized for creating debt traps, fuelling corruption, and harming the environment in some areas.
The big Chinese Dragon spreading its wings is no longer an economic ride but a full-blown geopolitical rollercoaster aiming to shake the world order.
This initiative is closely watched by countries around the world, and its impact on global economic and political dynamics will continue to be debated and analysed.
We’ll just leave this here…
