To Join or Not to Join? State Ownership, Commercial Interests, and China's Belt and Road Initiative

Bibliographic Data

ID2883237
AuthorsXiaojun Li (0000-0003-4832-8278, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville), Ka Zeng (0000-0001-5618-5508, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville)
Year2019
Volume92
Issue1
Pages5-26
Publication date2019-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePacific Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-851X • E-ISSN: 1715-3379
PublisherPacific Affairs (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5509/20199215
OpenAlexW2917093404
LanguageEN
Citations received18

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often regarded as a vehicle of China’s economic statecraft in that country’s endeavour to expand its geopolitical influence overseas through investments and trade. In today’s globalized world, however, the vast majority of international economic interactions are conducted by firms, not states. The success of the BRI therefore depends on whether and how China can compel its firms to behave in a way that serves the strategic interests of the state. Using a unique firm-level survey, we find that Chinese firms’ interests in the BRI do not necessarily align with those of the state. Despite similar perceived risks and challenges to participation in the BRI among private and state-owned firms in China, state-owned enterprises are much more likely than private ones to express a willingness to participate in the BRI. These Endings highlight the importance of state control in the exercise of economic statecraft

Business · China · Join (topology) · Political science · Programming language · State (computer science) · Computer Science · Global trade and economics · International Development and Aid · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Mathematics