Skip to main content

China's Silk Road Project - the contemporary nature of power and relations

Credit: BBC
China's massive infrastructure project to revive the Silk Road, also called the Belt and Road initiative,  has changed the nature of contemporary politics, exemplifying how diplomacy or 'soft power' is winning over military might or 'hard power' in our interconnected global political world.

It is of no surprise that China is a growing power, and this New Silk Road will increase its influence in countries all over Central Asia, Africa and even Europe. It would be hard to predict what the potential impact could be on concerning countries, but this case study grants a further and more valuable insight into how the nature of power and dependency is changing, with China as a focal point of this change.

The History 

Historically, the Silk Road has been a key trade route between the Western and Eastern world, leading to the development and trade of useful commodities such as silk and gold. China has used this useful interdependence and development as motivation for their Belt and Road initiative. Since 2013, the state has already invested upwards of $900 Billion in building infrastructure and loaning money to developing nations to facilitate the implementation of this initiative.

The new move has been concerning to some nations, and welcoming to others. Nations such as Pakistan have welcomed the move, claiming that the initiative will 'improve relations' and facilitate 'trade of essential goods'. However, China has also faced heavy opposition from Western countries such as the USA, claiming that the country hopes to 'arm itself into a superpower'. Moreover, there is also the concern of debt to China, that could yield questionable impacts such as what was seen between China and Sri Lanka.

This case study therefore highlights the power struggle between the West and the East, and how the struggle is progressing from a military or 'hard power' fight to an economic one - with developing countries as pawns.

The Opinions

Supporters - Supporters of the Belt and Road Initiative claim that this move will improve connectedness and relations between countries, and promote collaboration between countries in different continents. Therefore, the effects will be mutualistic. 

 Critics - Critics of this initiative state that this move is a part of a much larger one that will grant China larger influence and control over developing nations. Developing nations have slowly aligned the foreign policy to benefit China, such as actively supporting Chinese-created resolutions in the UN. They fear China may slowly dominate Eastern politics with this initiative. 

The Answer

It is hard to answer such a question, because power is a very conceptual topic and it is not at all concentrated in politics. However, what this case study reveals is that economic and influence is often more powerful and impactful than military power.

China is a growing superpower, but not in the conventional historic sense - it does not boast the best military nor economy, but has used its strategic position to expand its influence over developing regions. Soft power, negotiation and subtlest forms of influence is winning and far more potent in contemporary politics, and we can see this paradigm shift in conflicts around the world, as states adapt to using soft power than hard power.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nirbhaya: The 7 Year Fight to Justice

‘Justice delayed, is Justice denied’ According to the National Crime Records Bureau, India has the highest cases of rape in the world; rape is the fourth most common crime in India. For decades, rape victims in India have been subjected to an archaic, insensitive criminal justice system. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of adequate laws, and the social culture in India turning a blind eye to rape against women in general. This can be seen with The Nirbhaya Case - an epitome of one of the most brutal rape cases in India.  The History Nirbhaya. Fearless. Due to Indian rape laws not permitting using the victim’s name, Jyoti Singh was known as “Nirbhaya”, meaning fearless. The Nirbhaya case occurred in 2012 in Delhi, India. “Nirbhaya'' and her male friend were attacked on a bus and she was beaten and gang-raped repeatedly for over an hour. Over a period of 14 days, “Nirbhaya'' faced complications from surgery and she died in December 2019, 201...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is the Yemen Crisis?

Credit: CTV According to the United Nations, 24 Million people in Yemen are facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The Yemeni people have been suffering for decades due to a long-lasting civil war, which has hindered access to basic human needs such as food, water and healthcare. As millions die daily, there seems to be a lack of coverage in widespread media. The History The roots of the war started with the Arab Spring in 2010 - which created a movement that involved pro-democracy protests that wanted to force the President at the time, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to end his 33 year presidency. Moreover, as the protests continued, many protestors started dying in the capital Sana’a at the hands of the military, where Ali Abdullah unleashed a harsh crackdown on protestors. By 2015, the Houthis (an extremist group who rose to power with the civil war between Saleh and the protestors), were determined to create a caliphate within Yemen. By toppling the government, they were able ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How has Islamophobia in Sweden led to violent protests?

In Malmo, hundreds of people have taken to the streets to show their anger against the far right Danish party ‘Stram Kurs’ (Hard Line). The leader of the group, Rasmus Paludan, and his party is against immigration - which consequently led to the leader burning a copy of the Holy Quran, an act which has drawn international condemnation. The History The riots took place on the night of August 28th wherein rioters were captured on video setting fires and throwing objects at law enforcement officers. Many people at the protests were detained due to the aggressive violence taking place. Moreover, the Islamaphobic acts done by the party's leader, Rasmus Paludan, has caused the authorities in Sweden to take action. Rasmus Paludan has already been convicted of spreading hatred towards various ethnic groups within the regions and has also come into light for making Islamaphic remarks through Youtube such as burning the Islamic holy book, sometimes also wrapped in bacon. Additionally, althou...
Post a Comment
Read more