China's objectives with the Belt and Road Initiative

Essay from the year 2020 in the subject Politics - Topic: Globalization, Political Economics, grade: 1,0, Dresden Technical University, language: English, abstract: What are the objectives behind China's promotion and development of the Belt and Road Initiative? Answering this question is the main purpose of this essay which is based on an international political economy (IPE) approach to bridge geoeconomic and geopolitical perspectives The ancient Silk Road served as vast trade network between China, other Asian countries, Europe and the Middle East for more than 2,000 years. By launching the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and a Digital Silk Road - China has revived this concept in 2013. While some scholars and politicians welcome the BRI as China's contribution to international public goods and international development, others reject it claiming that its objectives are not transparent or, that it is a tool for China to leverage its massive economic resources for geostrategic interests and to facilitate business for its state-owned enterprises. Thus, is the BRI´s main objective to undermine the US-led world order? Is it driven by altruism aimed on facilitating economic growth in less developed countries? Is it the Chinese way to deal with domestic economy challenges? Or is it just an empty slogan?