Table of contentsSource: Tim WinterObjectives of the One Belt One Road initiativeBRIC strategic objectivesCultural factorsProspective development and concerns Introduction and history Launched in 2013, the One Belt One initiative Road (OBOR or BRI) is a Chinese foreign policy of a transnational economic belt. The scale of this initiative is astonishing as it is the largest such initiative launched by a single country so far. The OBOR consists of two parts: The Silk Road Economic Belt, historically it was a route for ancient China to communicate and trade with Central Asia and the Middle East over 2000 years, the first trace of the Silk Road can be dated to Han. dynasty, when Emperor Wudi sent Zhang Qian from western China to the Middle East. Another segment is the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a maritime route that circumnavigates Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa. In summary, more than two-thirds of the world's population and more than a third of the world's economic output will be involved in this initiative and could involve Chinese investments totaling up to $4 trillion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay For many in the region, the Silk Road is a story of peaceful trade and a rich history of religious and harmonious cultures. The Belt and Road seeks to build directly on this legacy. It is based on a historical narrative that connectivity – both cultural and economic – reduces suspicion and promotes common prosperity, an idea enthusiastically taken up by states concerned about civil unrest, both domestically and abroad. outside their borders. In November 2015, Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, chose UNESCO headquarters in Paris to announce the creation of the country's new Peace Academy, declaring that "we can better fight extremism through intercultural dialogue and interreligious”.[1] The other segment of the BRI, the Marine Weather Silk Road also plays an important role both historically and today. One of the most famous historical figures in Chinese history is Admiral Zheng He, who embodies the great Chinese narrative of commerce, encounter and exchange on a regional scale. A Muslim eunuch who led seven fleets to South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and West Africa between 1405 and 1433 during the Ming dynasty, Zheng He is widely celebrated as a peace envoy in China and by the Overseas Chinese living in Malaysia and Indonesia. , and elsewhere. In addition to the museums, mosques and artifacts now appearing across the region celebrating his voyages, China has given millions of dollars to Sri Lanka and Kenya to support the search for the remains of Zheng He's fleet. Both countries are key nodes in the modern Belt and Road infrastructure network, with China financing the construction of deep-water ports in Colombo and Hambantota in Sri Lanka, and Lamu in Kenya. Source: Tim Winter Objectives of the One Belt, One Road Initiative The One Belt, One Road initiative includes several economic elements and some non-economic elements. The initiative is expected to promote five major objectives: “policy coordination, facility connectivity, free trade, financial integration and people-to-people ties.” Of the five objectives, “facilities” (infrastructure) are perhaps the most important because they provide the means necessary to achieve many of the other objectives mentioned above.The most frequently mentioned economic element is the Chinese commitment to invest heavily in a wide variety of infrastructure projects to strengthen economic capacity and "connectivity" between the One Belt, One Road countries and with the western regions of China.[4] . For example, there are several mechanisms designed entirely or in part to support this infrastructure development, including the Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). More broadly, from the point of view of China's overall development policies, the One Belt, One Road concept is considered by many Chinese media as a major element of the economic reform process. Shortly after being announced, the initiative was explicitly linked to Chinese reforms in a decision of the 18th CPC Conference in November 2013. The decision stated that China would "establish development-oriented financial institutions, accelerate the construction infrastructure linking China to neighboring countries. and regions, and work hard to build a Silk Road economic belt and a maritime Silk Road, so as to form a new model of all-round opening-up. "[5] In this official Chinese government document, it was also stated that "Countries in Central Asia, Russia, South Asia and Southeast Asia will be given priority." . . while the countries of the Middle East and East Africa are at the junction” connecting Asian countries with European countries. Another major feature of the One Belt, One Road initiative is that it is intended to be as open and inclusive as possible, apparently involving few or no requirements or restrictions, and to exist in cooperation with, not against , other international development initiatives. In emphasizing the open and cooperative nature of the One Belt, One Road initiative, many Chinese media outlets use the metaphor of a “symphony,” involving the participation of many countries, and not a “solo” effort by China alone. Strategic objectives of the BRI However, the initiative has been described as a "response" to the new geopolitical situation marked by the "rebalancing of the United States towards Asia", Japan's "accelerated steps towards normalization", the India's rapid economic growth and growing concerns over capacity building. China among China’s “Asian neighboring countries”. From this geopolitical perspective, the One Belt, One Road initiative can be seen as a new type of "strategy" designed to support the broader effort announced by Xi Jinping to strengthen Beijing's peripheral diplomacy and create a “new type of relations with major countries”. ” both of which are based on intensive cooperation and a zero-sum (i.e. “win-win”) approach to international politics and economics. Since the rise of China, most countries in the Asia-Pacific region have chosen to try to integrate China into existing and new regional and global institutions such as RCEP or ASEAN plus. The United States, under the Trump administration, has explicitly rebalanced its international position toward Asia and China by returning to a bilateral approach to diplomatic and economic policies. In early 2017, shortly after President Trump's inauguration, the United States declared its withdrawal from the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), which was a foreign policy priority of the Obama administration to strengthen US leadership in the region. Asia-Pacific. Trump's bilateral approach to foreign relations is expected to lead to a decline in US influence in Asia, for RCEP to lead ASEAN and the »..