Asia’s Era of Infrastructure and the Politics of Corridors: Decoding the Language of Logistical Governance

Abstract

The chapter analyzes the politics of corridors as an inner logic of Asia’s Era of Infrastructure and the emergence of corridors as logistical institutions. By analyzing texts and policies prompted by international organizations, such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and actors such as China along the so-called Belt and Road, the chapter shows that corridors, from a subterranean trend in the history of the relation between economy and space, are now emerging as a commonsense reference in discourses of governance and policy-making. The chapter further argues that corridors take the political reorganization achieved through economic zones a step further and produce specific governing dynamics and agencies whose role is growing as a consequence of the relevance assumed by logistics, connectivity, and infrastructure for global politics.