Abstract
Feng Yuan relates the One Belt One Road (OBOR) discussion to a broader discussion on the rise of China and its impact on institution building. The author contends that the OBOR initiative is an important and comprehensive project that touches many aspects of China’s international relations policies, including the objective of developing a “multilayered multilateralism”—a new set of institutions in order to support a new set of Chinese ideas and norms. The OBOR initiative resembles Beijing’s proactive approach to its foreign policies, and multilayered multilateralism is seen as an effective way to consolidate China’s new role in norm-setting and norm diffusion.
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Notes
- 1.
For more information about Silk Road Economic Belt, please refer to Xi Jinping’s speech at Nazarbayev University, 7 September 2014. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-09/07/c_132700695.htm
- 2.
See China News: Xi Jinping’s new foreign policy idea: Community of interest, responsibility and fate: http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2014/10-10/6660509.shtml
- 3.
See Xi Jinping’s speech: Community of common fate and a favourable environment for China’s development: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/t1093113.shtml
- 4.
See Li Keqiang, Chinese prime minister’s propositions on East Asia Summit: 13 November 2014 http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-11/14/c_1113240192.htm
- 5.
See Reports on 24 Ore « Putin Scommette sullo yuan: la conversione con il rublo ci rendera meno dipendenti dal dollaro: http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2014-11-10/putin-scommette-yuan-conversione-il-rublo-ci-rendera-meno-dipendenti-dollaro-101845.shtml?uuid=ABngOECC&fb_action_ids=10153304259468976&fb_action_types=og.recommends
- 6.
See reports on Russia Beyond the Headlines « Yuan settlements with Russia could boost Chinese currency’s regional role: http://rbth.co.uk/news/2014/11/09/yuan_settlements_with_russia_could_boost_chinese_currencys_regional_role_41260.html
- 7.
Chinese scholars are especially interested in and influenced by Alfred Thayer Mahan’s theory about the importance of sea power in a nation’s development, mainly presented in The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783, The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1783–1812, Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812. For example, Li Jiacheng and Li Puqian from Liao Ning University argue that China should pay attention to Mahan’s argument about the causal relationship between the command over the sea and the status of a great power (Mahan 1890), and the indispensability of a nation’s revival to be a great power (Li and Li 2013: 88). Reference is also made to the history of the USA’s rise and its sea power as the most successful case of Mahan’s theory (Cao and Li 2006; Li 2006). Besides acknowledging the importance of sea power pointed out by Mahan, many Chinese scholars believe that Mahan has overemphasized the deciding factor of a country’s geographical and natural situation, neglecting the influences of technology development (Li 2004; Jia Zhang 2000).
- 8.
For example, Kevin C. Kennedy has used the case of trade environment disputes to point out that unilateralism is not at all legitimate in regulating global issues as national law is only applicable in a given territory. Multilateralism is the correct way to addressing global issues as it requires coordination among nations involved to provide legitimate solutions (Kennedy 2001).
- 9.
It is important to point out here that “One Belt and One Road” is described as a “project” and a “policy” in the Chinese government’s rhetoric. It is not an institution, and, as Prof. Sun Zhuangzhi has pointed out, it is a completely new concept that cannot be defined yet, and China is in no hurry to provide a definition to it.
- 10.
On 3 January 2016, Saudi Arabia announced that it would cut off its diplomatic relationship with Iran because Iran had allowed attacks on Saudia Arabia’s embassy. The attack was due to the anger aroused by the Saudia Arabia’s execution of Iran’s religious leader as a terrorist (Fitch et al. 2016; Al Jazeera 2016b).
- 11.
China’s Arab Policy Paper states: “China’s proposed initiatives of jointly building the “Silk Road Economic Belt”and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, establishing a “1+2+3” cooperation pattern (to take energy cooperation as the core, infrastructure construction and trade and investment facilitation as the two wings, and three high and new tech fields of nuclear energy, space satellite and new energy as the three breakthroughs), and industrial capacity cooperation, are well received by Arab countries. Both sides have broad consensus on safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity, defending national dignity, seeking political resolution to hotspot issues, and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East” (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC 2016). Also, it is worth mentioning that eight countries in the Middle East are founding members of AIIB, which increases the possibilities of comprehensive collaboration (Jiang 2016).
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Yuan, F. (2019). The One Belt One Road Initiative and China’s Multilayered Multilateralism. In: Xing, L. (eds) Mapping China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ Initiative. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92201-0_4
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