Research Papers on the Belt and Road Initiative

Research Papers on the Belt and Road InitiativeThe Belt and Road Initiative is a program for developing countries, which was launched in 2020 by the Chinese President Xi Jinping. The program targets the countries in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, South East Asia, and South Pacific. Several research papers, both short and long term, on the project were done, and these are presented here.The Belt and Road Initiative are one of the most talked about initiatives of the moment. In a recently released documentary film, the President of Kazakhstan claims, 'The Belt and Road Initiative is a great opportunity for me, for my country, and for the entire world.' A documentary on the initiative has been released at the end of March; it explains that it will create a new era of peaceful cooperation between China and its neighbors, while putting immense pressure on the United States.The roadway stretches for some twelve thousand kilometers from China to Central Asia. A s I pointed out in a previous post, this is enough to form the biggest land border in the world. It also coincides with the biggest trade route for the last six thousand years, the Silk Road. The Chinese have set up another major highway, the East Asia High-Speed Railway, to provide connectivity between the Belt and Road and the European continent.One of the best research papers on the initiative was written by Thomas Pitney, a professor of public affairs at Claremont McKenna College, and a participant in the initiative. He came to the conclusion that the Belt and Road Initiative are the 'most significant development in trade policy since the Great American Interstate System and the advent of international commerce.'He also points out that the initiative provides the ideal platform for global prosperity. It will bring vast amounts of goods to Central Asia and into China. This could create the foundation for the eventual construction of infrastructure and railroads for the rest of th e world, which could take centuries to complete.The road initiative will also provide an opportunity for the Chinese to work together with the other countries of Central Asia. They are also likely to build industrial parks and modern airports at several strategic locations, to facilitate trade. This is the most important idea behind the initiative. The initiative makes Central Asia one of the fastest growing regions in the world.A few other research papers on the initiative include a study on the economic role of the initiative, analysis of the possible outcomes, and a study on the cultural impact of the initiative. All these are included in a recent report by a business think tank called the Frontier Group. One of the really interesting ideas they bring up is the idea of using the initiative as a means of creating 'a new unitary global market, a new borderless international economic space,' and the 'creation of a new paradigm for how trade and finance are done.'