The debate over China s One Belt One Road OBOR initiative has been lively and at times heated both in China and internationally In many ways this is a reflection of the vagueness of the concept and of its exceptionality OBOR does not prioritize trade and investment concessions which makes it essentially different from traditional regional economic cooperation models such as FTAs the TPP and the RCEP Instead it emphasizes regional infrastructure connectivity After China proposed the initiative countries within the New Silk Road Economic Belt especially the five Central Asian countries responded enthusiastically and positively while Southeast and South Asian countries on the other hand expressed more concerns and reservations about the initiative In response to these countries concerns China has tried to adjust its approaches to convince Southeast Asian countries that the OBOR initiative holds potential synergy with ASEAN s development strategies and can play a complementary role in the building of the ASEAN community Beijing has also adjusted its India strategy From previously inviting India to join OBOR it is now stressing strategy connectivity and policy coordination between the two countries Nevertheless OBOR is viewed by some as an expression of China s grand ambitions to lead Asian economic growth and by others as a grand strategy to build a China dominated Asia While it may be mainly an economic and trade initiative its broader consequences have a strong political and security dimension Hence China badly needs to cultivate political trust with neighbouring countries if it wishes to convince them that the initiative is a public strategy and not a conspiratorial one

China’s One Belt One Road: An Overview of the Debate (Trends in Southeast Asia Studies) PDF

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