From Policy to Practice

The Industrial Park-Port projects represent a novel strategy by China to establish its presence in the Arab world and Africa, areas actively involved in the flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This research unveils how industrial park-port complexes actually operate on the ground, and how specific sub-state actors, such as Chinese companies, affect their implementation and dynamics. Leveraging the insights from 'slogan politics' and the concept of asymmetric interdependence, we argue that Chinese state-owned firms have been proactive in leveraging the BRI framework to pursue their own commercial interests. Through a scrutiny of transnational legal disputes, such as those involving the fiberglass trade in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, and the disagreement over Doraleh port construction between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), our study finds that the Chinese transnational enterprises are capable of exploiting different regulations between states on a global scale to their own advantage. This may not only override China's national considerations but also give rise to international legal disputes that negatively affect China's diplomatic interests and image within the BRI framework.

asymmetric interdependence · China-Africa relations · China–Egypt relations · Chinese state-owned enterprises · port construction · regulatory arbitrage · Belt and Road Initiative · Economic Zones and Regional Development · International Arbitration and Investment Law