Chinas Belt and Road Initiatives and Its Neighboring Diplomacy
Chinas Belt and Road Initiatives and Its Neighboring Diplomacy
Editor
ZHANG Jie
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China
Translator
XU Mengqi
Peoples Public Security University, China
Published by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zhang, Jie, 1973 editor.
Title: Chinas belt and road initiatives and its neighboring diplomacy / [edited by] Jie Zhang (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China).
Description: New Jersey : World Scientific, [2016]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016015691 | ISBN 9789813140202 (hc : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: China--Foreign economic relations. | China--Commerce. | Economic development--China. | Trade routes--China. | Infrastructure (Economics)--China. | China--Economic policy--2000
Classification: LCC HF1604 .C4525 2016 | DDC 337.51--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016015691
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Originally published in Chinese by Social Sciences Academic Press (China)
Copyright 2015 Social Sciences Academic Press (China)
Copyright 2017 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
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Contents
About the Editor-in-Chief
Ms. Zhang Jie is a Research Fellow of National Institute of International Strategy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Her research has been focusing on ChinaASEAN relations in both security and diplomacy, and the issue of South China Sea. She had her monograph, Ethnic Separatism and National Identity: A Case Study on Ethnic Conflict in Aceh, published in 2012 by Social Sciences Academic Press in China. At the same time, she is the editor-in-chief of Chinas Regional Security Review for five consecutive years from 2011 to 2015, and writer of dozens of articles in journals such as The Journal of International Studies, Journal of International Security Studies, Journal of Contemporary Asia-Pacific Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, and Pacific Journal, etc.
About the Translator
Ms. Xu Mengqi graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University where she obtained Master Degree in translation studies. Having been engaging in international affairs for two years, she is now with the International Cooperation Office of Peoples Public Security University of China in Beijing. She has a five-year experience of translating and interpreting in a variety of fields including finance, culture, international relations, and manufacturing industry. She is the translator of such books as ChinaAfrica Relations: Review and Analysis, Chinas Quantitative Economics in the Past 30 Years, Chinese National Cultural Security in the Age of Globalization, and Chinas Financial Stability: Inherent Logic and Basic Framework.
Preface
National power of neighboring countries has waxed and waned ever since the U.S. engaged in its rebalance to Asia-Pacific region in 2010. What is worth noticing is that Chinas strength growth stimulates immense changes to safety situations of its neighborhood. In face of new challenges, China begins to design and shape its peripheral environment.
Against such background, Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative) came into being successively in 2013. In the year after, China delivered to the world its commitment to and resolution in realizing its proposal through ways of leaders oversea visits, regional dialogue, dialogue on partnership of connectivity, construction of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Silk Road Foundation, and so on.
The Belt and Road Initiative extends to the whole world by and through Chinas neighboring countries and regions. In this case, peripheral region should be given top priority in a countrys strategic practice. At the same time, Belt and Road Initiative values openness and cooperation, which calls for interaction between China and its neighbors rather than one-way advancement of the proposer. Thus an observation of the attitude of Chinas neighbors towards the initiative, be it positive or negative, is necessary for China to forge ahead with its national strategy. Thats also where the idea of writing this book came from.
This book selects four countries, the U.S., Japan, Russia, and India, and four regions, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Middle Asia, as objects of observation. It addresses questions such as what the reasons behind their different attitude towards the Belt and Road Initiative are, what influence their attitude is going to exert to the progress of realizing the initiative, and whether or not their attitude will change some day.
At the time when the Belt and Road Initiative was born, disputes on the sea have affected Chinas safety environment for a while with a tendency of escalation. Some of the disputes are about territory and interests in attached sea areas; some are in relation to the shaping of new maritime order; and some involves the division and grouping in security order of Asia-Pacific region. Under such circumstances, can the Belt and Road Initiative, especially the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aims at building a new sea order of free voyage, common security on the sea, and joint exploitation of marine resources, act as a key propeller in solving maritime disputes and in completing Chinas strategy on its neighborhood? Answering this question is where the book ends up with despite the fact that the initiative is still a new-born.
In closing, I want to mention that this book is a result of collective efforts made for many years. Previously, the research group made up mainly by researchers from the Department of Asia-Pacific Security and Diplomatic Studies of National Institute of International Strategy, CASS has published annual reports on Chinas safety environment for four consecutive years. In essence, the research is a long-term observation, through which descriptive analysis of situations can be abstracted as regularities, and concerns on single cases ignite the thoughts of trend study. Hopefully, this academic endeavor can contribute to the shaping of Chinas strategy on its neighborhood.
Introduction
Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Central Asia join hands to build a Silk Road Economic Belt when he visited Kazakhstan in September 2013 and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road during his visit in ASEAN countries in October of the same year.
