Belt and Road Initiative

The following sections are included:

• Contents
• Preface
• About the Authors

The “Belt and Road Initiative”, or BRI, is a Chinese initiative of the 21st century and is now receiving global attention and scrutiny. Although one could say that BRI’s underlying intention is to revitalize the ancient silk roads, albeit land- or maritime-based, there is one aspect which makes it fundamentally different from the ancient ones, and that is: it is not “organic”. As such, the BRI places unprecedented demands on China and the Chinese people to shoulder greater global responsibilities. In this sense, BRI is very timely since the world is currently confronted by serious economic challenges. It is hoped and anticipated that by its proper execution, BRI can lift the world out of such a molasse…

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Supercontinent
• Neo-Renaissance
• Cultural Communications
• Conclusions
• References

On April 6, 2017, President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his southern White House. The issue of the United States (US) joining the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) was mentioned, but it is safe to say that the US’ response was at best lukewarm…

In July 2017, President Donald Trump of the United States made the stunning announcement that the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Paris agreement. This was widely regarded as a major environmental setback because the Paris agreement, with participation from 196 countries, had given the world hope that catastrophic climate change might be avoided through coordinated political action…

If President Trump doesn’t want manufacturing revitalization to end up as just a campaign promise, he should consider seeking cooperation with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)…

Ever since Donald Trump was sworn in as the US president on January 20, 2016, he has pushed forward a series of economic policies, including a massive infrastructure program, significant tax reductions to induce the return of manufacturing industries, and trade protectionism. The initiatives were hailed by the financial markets and business communities. As a result, both the stock market and commercial confidence index catapulted to unprecedented heights…

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met the United States (US) President Donald Trump in Florida last month, the issue of the United States joining the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) was mentioned. However, it is safe to say that the response was at best lukewarm…

In the future, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will not only support construction projects along the route, but will also offer financial support for infrastructure construction on the regional and global level…

China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group opened its Australian and New Zealand headquarters in Melbourne in early February, and Jack Ma, Alibaba’s founder and executive chairman, believes the company will “help Australian and New Zealand businesses share their world-famous products with billions of customers around the world.” I expect many Chinese enterprises picture Australia as a springboard toward other Western countries, as a three-hour’s time difference between China and Australia means there is no need to work night shifts to connect with headquarters at home, and certified Chinese firms (granted in Australia) are widely recognized in Western nations…

Following China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have become an important target region for Chinese out-bound investment. Given that ASEAN countries also receive abundant investment from Japan, the competition between China and Japan over projects has frequently made headlines, especially in regard to high-speed rail projects. Some Chinese enterprises are even wondering if Japanese firms are following their moves…

Chinese enterprises have never sat on as much cash as they are now. The trend has set off alarms, because holding such a huge volume of cash means there is a woeful lack of investment targets…

Amid strained ties between China and Singapore over issues such as the South China Sea and Singapore’s military ties with Taiwan, there are talks about the impending collapse of Singapore’s economy. It is misleading to conclude that Singapore’s economy is headed for a hard landing and such a misinterpretation could cause China to draft the wrong policies toward Singapore…

In the “2017 Business China Award” held on July 14 and 15, in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong engaged in a dialogue with Robin Hu, the Head (Sustainability & Stewardship) at Temasek International. In one of PM Lee’s comments, he said that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is opened to all nations. PM Lee also emphasized that BRI welcomes participation and planning from all nations. As an important BRI node, PM Lee said that Singapore will benefit from it…

On January 20, 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru said to father of Da Hsuan Feng, Paul Feng of China’s Central News Agency, that “If China and India hold together, the future of Asia is assured.” In these twelve words, “what needs to be held” and “where the holding can take place” remain elusive for these two nations, for Asia and for the world in general…

Unquestionably, developing smart cities is now a global trend. With that in mind, for Singapore to be a leading city of fundamental global importance, becoming “smart” can no longer be sufficient. It must aim to become the first globally known “cognitive city”, to deepen the development of smart banks and become the center where technical experts of cognitive cities congregate. We believe that this will propel Singapore to be the archetypical city in the new era…

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) stake acquisition will enhance understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) among countries along the route, as financial cooperation is indispensable to the initiative…

Pakistan has enjoyed a firm relationship with China for more than 60 years. However, in terms of bilateral cooperation related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), many Pakistani media reports have alleged that these investments do not simply reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan, but are instead driven by China’s interests…

Malaysia, strategically situated in Southeast Asia, serves as a significant point in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as well as a bridge in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Middle East, West Asia and South Asia. A number of Chinese scholars and entrepreneurs have been attracted to and invested in the country. I recently attended a forum in Kuala Lumpur and probed into Chinese firms’ overseas expansion in Malaysia…

Introducing Filipino maids could help China’s economic and social development in the long run.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Beijing on October 19, 2016, Tuesday, for a four-day state visit, during which his business delegation of 400 business leaders are expected to clinch deals with the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises in areas including construction, tourism, agriculture, electric power and highspeed rails…

In the past year, we have visited Thailand several times. Sometimes it was for field studies and others attending forums. One of us (DHF) recently delivered a university-wide speech about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Bangkok’s Asia Institute of Technology. What we discovered was that among all nations in the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), Thailand is unique. We believe that if Thailand and China could collaborate under the rubric of the BRI, it can emerge as ASEAN’s manufacturing center and regional headquarters, and play a pivotal role in defining Asia’s financial protocol…

In a recent ASEAN and China mayoral conference held in Nanning, Guangxi province, one of us (HML) presented the concept of smart cities and its importance for ASEAN cities. As expected, it generated much interest from the audience. In particular, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, his excellency Corn Dabbaransi mentioned to HML that this is also important for Thai’s bursting urban areas, such as Chiang Mai…

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s presence at the 14th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in Yangon was a timely reminder that, among ASEAN members, Myanmar is probably the most proactive in participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)…

Thanks to its ongoing economic reform and demographic dividend, India has become one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world. The prevailing view in international academic circles is that India will likely replace China as the new “world’s factory”, which will be beneficial for China, India and even the world in general…

Overseas Chinese, especially those in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) route, have huge demand for the yuan as they generally trust it, find it easy to convert and relatively stable…

Hong Kong should no longer just sit around and wait for policy support from the central government but take the initiative to create new ways to serve and benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). When it comes to what role Hong Kong can play in the BRI, the public normally believes that as a top global financial center, Hong Kong can be positioned as a “super liaison” that links China and the BRI route countries, while being a financing hub…

Two historical events with profound relevance to Hong Kong took place recently. One was on July 1, 2017, a grand scale celebration was held in Hong Kong about its return of sovereignty twenty years ago to the Mainland, under the auspices of “One Nation, Two Systems (ONTS)”. Another one was the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Summit” which was held in Beijing on May 14 and 15, 2017, and was attended by some 30 nations’ top leaders. The solemnity of both events were best manifested by the palpable and major presence of President Xi Jinping…

With the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) expected to support China’s medium and long-term development, practical measures are needed to deal with the challenges of implementing the plan…

In the past year, the issue of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has received intense global attention. While much of the discussions on how to render BRI successful stood on economic, technological and geopolitical platforms, its ultimate success must be based on a common foundation, which is what President Xi Jinping pronounced as the “interactions among peoples” in his 2017 Davos’ World Economic Council speech…

The way of thinking in Islamic finance and how it operates is different from conventional finance, the kind that China is familiar with…

The route of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) includes numerous countries where Islam is the principal religion. For China to achieve the goal of interconnectivity with Muslim countries along the route, developing Islamic finance should be considered as a priority, because the finance sector lays the foundations and supports the development of other areas such as trade, investment and culture…

Blockchain would not only help to promote the implementation of the BRI, but also transform China from being a participant in international economic activities to one that shapes these activities, giving the country a greater voice in global economic and financial governance…

As China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is driving regionally and globally the so-called sharing economy, which in a sense sits on the theme of this book, the omnipresent economy, it is important that we understanding it as a new source of growth…

Anyone searching for a blueprint of Chinese development in the next five years should look no further than the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party…

The following sections are included:

• Bibliography
• Index