The third in the EUISS connectivity series, this Brief focuses on China’s Polar Silk Road project, which officially incorporates the Arctic Ocean into Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, and examines what it reveals about China’s broader geopolitical ambitions in the region.
Gwadar port is a flagship project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The construction of the port near the Gulf of Hormuz gives China access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. This Brief argues that the geostrategic dimension of the project far outweighs its economic potential, and that this will likely affect the regional balance of power.
The first in the EUISS series ‘Along the road’, which will examine the security implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this Brief looks at how the debt trap Sri Lanka found itself in may provide some useful lessons learned. What are the domestic and regional impacts of Beijing’s large-scale investments in the island nation?
This Brief sets the stage for an upcoming EUISS series entitled 'Along the road', which will examine the security implications of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) connectivity project. Through a collection of case studies from infrastructure projects and countries situated ‘Along the road’, this series will seek to gather concrete evidence of the success or failure of Beijing’s new geopolitical project.
China’s endeavour to establish new economic corridors in the region covered by the block’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) policy poses both opportunities and challenges. What are the best policy solutions to achieve synergy between European and Chinese projects in the region?