Building the West’s On-Ramp to China’s Belt and Road

Opportunities in the South Caucasus

Bibliographic Data

ID9392020
AuthorsRick Fawn (0000-0003-1903-8773, Harvard University Press, corresponding author), Jason Bruder (Harvard University Press)
Year2022
Volume66
Issue3
Pages350-372
Publication date2022-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOrbis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-4387 • E-ISSN: 1873-5282
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.orbis.2022.05.006
OpenAlexW4285132965
LanguageEN
Citations received1

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is already changing infrastructure and production across much of the world. The three states of the South Caucasus and their counterparts in Central Asia need diverse connectivity to preserve their economic and political independence amid China’s expanding influence. Despite some rhetoric and practical measures, the United States and the European Union (EU) continue to underestimate the BRI. This article identifies recent international and regional developments that converge to create a unique opportunity for the West and South Caucasus partners. They may develop integrated, long-terms infrastructure of lasting mutual benefit. The convergence of events in and around the South Caucasus offers the place for the West to build an “On-Ramp” to the BRI. The South Caucasus provide a potential gateway into Asia’s heart that is not dictated solely by the priorities of Chinese foreign or commercial policies, just as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline of a generation ago served a similar role

Business · China · Convergence (economics · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · European union · Gateway (web page · Geography · Independence (probability theory · International trade · Political science · Politics · Belt and Road Initiative · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · China's Global Influence and Migration

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