“The Belt and Road” Initiative: The Economic and Political Dimension
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/Keywords:
The Belt and Road, The New Silk Road, China, peaceful rise, 17+1, economy, foreign policy, securityAbstract
The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as „The New Silk Road’, covers more than 60 countries on three continents, which in cooperation with China see an opportunity for economic and political gains. China also sees an opportunity for benefits from cooperation within The Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched on the basis of the combination of China’s trade, financial, political and security interests. This article aims to explore economic and political dimension of The Belt and Road Initiative, covering the primary interests of subjects working on the Initiative’s realization, challenges they face on that path and expected economic and political consequences of the Initiative. According to research results, the economic dimension of the Belt and road is more visible and includes matters such as infrastructure development and consequently trade expansion, matters closely connected with China’s economic growth, the problem of China’s sub-regional economic development and financial issues. The political dimension of the Initiative, on the other hand, should be observed through China’s coping with international system’s pressure, strengthening of its influence across the globe, as well as through China’s domestic and international security interests.
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