Long Brief by the Connectivity Center
In this study, we aim to examine the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from various perspectives. The prevailing attitude in the West interprets the BRI almost exclusively from a geopolitical standpoint, viewing it as a tool of China’s power ambitions. The reality is far more complex; the BRI has numerous aspects and dimensions, and it is a concept that changes over time, as exemplified by the outcomes of the Third Belt and Road Forum in 2023. Below, we will explore the characteristics of the BRI not according to the mainstream interpretation but based on its different dimensions. We will discuss the external economic dimension, the domestic political dimension, and the strategic dimension of the BRI. We believe that this approach will provide a much more objective and realistic picture of the initiative. At the end of the study, we will present the responses of rival powers, which primarily focus on the strategic and geopolitical dimension of the BRI. In this section, we will introduce two initiatives that can be considered ‘counter-BRIs’ as case studies, and we will try to determine whether the parallel existence of various similar initiatives constitutes a zero-sum game or if they can complement each other.
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