AN ANALYSIS OF THE PRIMARY DRIVER FOR CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE—SECURITY VERSUS ECONOMICS
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Authors
Whitman, Jamie N.
Subjects
BRI
Belt and Road
One Belt One Road
Belt and Road Initiative
Maritime Silk Road
String of Pearls
OBOR
CPEC
China
Pakistan
China Pakistan Economic Corridor
Belt and Road
One Belt One Road
Belt and Road Initiative
Maritime Silk Road
String of Pearls
OBOR
CPEC
China
Pakistan
China Pakistan Economic Corridor
Advisors
Glosny, Michael A.
Date of Issue
2018-09
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
China portrays the Belt and Road Initiative—an interconnected network of rail lines, oil and gas pipelines, roads, bridges, and port facilities designed to connect China with Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe—as an effort aimed at regional economic integration with win-win outcomes for every country involved. The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, consisting of rail lines, fiber optic cables, power plants, and the Gwadar Port facility. CPEC provides the most tangible infrastructure projects to evaluate. Critics argue that it is a Chinese neocolonial effort to exert Chinese influence and increase Chinese power globally, burdening poor and developing countries with dangerous amounts of debt. Chinese internal and external security concerns, such as violence in Xinjiang and the perceived “Malacca Dilemma,” are also discussed as important drivers for the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC. This thesis examines both economic and security arguments to address the question: What is the primary driver for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor? The research shows that security is the primary driver for these projects. Economic considerations and benefits are also important to Chinese leaders, but security considerations trump economic ones.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
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Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.