China's Rising Influence in South Asia through Belt and Road Initiative: Opportunities and Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54418/ca-95.232Keywords:
China, CPEC, South Asia, BRI, Poverty, InterdependenceAbstract
Due to its geopolitical location and economic opportunities, South Asia, a linchpin for international powers competition, has emerged as a new arena for regional politics, as well as intra-regional conflict. Despite being the most populated region, it is least integrated, with almost 24.6% of its population living below the international poverty line. The study will explore the reasons for the lack of intra-regional integration and the socio-economic problems of the region. With China's increasing influence in the region, what economic, social, and strategic opportunities and challenges will emerge? Is Belt and Road Initiative a prospective solution for unity and integration of the region, something it has been lacking for years because of Indian domination of the decision-making of small countries? The study concludes that the initiative will provide economic growth, prosperity, and employment opportunities, however, India’s action in partnership with the United States of America to disrupt the Belt and Road Initiative poses a huge challenge. The potential benefits will drive anti-Belt and Road Initiative countries to adopt an accommodating approach. The article will primarily focus on four regional countries: Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Maldives.
References
Afridi, M.K, Naveed, A.N, Aqeela, A., Minhas, M.K and Faheem, A. “Impacts of CPEC on Political Economy of Pakistan: From Terror Victim to Regional Economic Hub.” Journal of Xi’an Shiyou University, Natural Science Edition 19, no. 7 (July 2023): 674–85.
Askary, H. “China Invites the U.S. To Join the Belt and Road Initiative.” Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, March 4, 2022. https://brixsweden.org/china-invites-the-u-s-to-join-the-belt-and-road-initiative/.
Baijie, A. “China Invites US to Join Belt and Road.” China Daily, April 26, 2017. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-04/26/content_29086142.htm.
Dalio, R. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail. Principles Ser. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2021.
Dhakal, M. “Trade Deficit Goes down by over 15%.” The Rising Nepal, June 23, 2023. https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/28470.
Giri, A. “7 Years on, Nepal and China Still at Odds over BRI Execution.” The Kathmandu Post, May 13, 2024. https://kathmandupost.com/national/2024/05/13/7-years-on-nepal-and-china-still-at-odds-over-bri-execution.
Haider, S. “India-China Bilateral Trade Hit a New Record in 2023: Envoy.” The Hindu, February 8, 2024. https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/india-china-bilateral-trade-hit-a-new-record-in-2023-envoy/article67822802.ece.
Hasib, N. I. “Liu Jianchao: China Ready to Align BRI with Bangladesh’s Vision 2041.” Dhaka Tribune, June 25, 2024. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/350202/liu-jianchao-china-ready-to-align-bri-with.
Hilman, J. and Alex T. “Who Built That? Labor and the Belt and Road Initiative.” Council on Foreign Relations, July 6, 2021. https://www.cfr.org/blog/who-built-labor-and-belt-and-road-initiative.
Huq, Md. E. “Recent Issues and Problems in Bangladesh-India Relations: A Bangladeshi Perspective.” European Scientific Journal, ESJ 19, no. 32, November 30, 2023: 9. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2023.v19n32p9.
Hussain, A. “‘No Right to Interfere’: Pakistan Hits Back at US over Election Scrutiny.” Aljazeera, June 27, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/27/no-right-to-interfere-pakistan-hits-back-at-us-over-election-scrutiny.
Krishnan, A. and Kallol Bhattacherjee. “China Says Will Back Bangladesh against ‘External Interference.’” The Hindu, August 25, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-says-will-back-bangladesh-against-external-interference/article67231493.ece.
Pasricha, A. “India Loses Ground in Maldives.” VoA, November 23, 2023. https://www.voanews.com/a/india-loses-ground-in-maldives/7366971.html.
Paudel, D. “Nepali Products Reach Japan for the First Time via China Trade Route.” Republica, January 29, 2024. https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/nepali-products-reach-japan-for-the-first-time-via-china-trade-route/#:~:text=KATHMANDU%2C%20Jan%2029%3A%20Eight%20years,third%20countries%20using%20China's%20land.
Prashad, V. “US Makes Another Stab at ‘Challenging’ China’s BRI.” Asia Times, July 2, 2022. https://asiatimes.com/2022/07/us-makes-another-stab-at-challenging-chinas-bri/.
Rahman, S.A. “The BRI in Bangladesh: ‘Win-Win’ or a ‘Debt Trap’?” The Diplomat, November 9, 2021. https://thediplomat.com/2021/11/the-bri-in-bangladesh-win-win-or-a-debt-trap/.
Zaman, S. “Pakistan Is Most Exposed to Chinese Influence; New Research Shows.” VoA, December 12, 2022. https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-most-exposed-to-chinese-influence-new-research-shows/6873075.html.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
