The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative in the Indian Ocean Region : Challenges and Prospects for China

Abstract

Maritime Silk Road Initiative, one of the main projections of the Chinese ambitious initiative, one Belt One Road, officially announced in 2013, has multifaceted implications on global order in general, and Indo-Pacific politics, in particular. This study aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of MSRI for China and the reservations anticipated by the West, regarding the said multilateral project. The fundamental vision of China behind this dream project is to get rid of the insecurity for Sino trade in the South China Sea and the Malacca dilemma, along with the soaring food insecurities. China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the offshoot of Belt and Road Initiative provides the safest and shortest excess to exports and imports by connecting its Western province, Xinjiang to Gwadar Port, Pakistan, adjacent to the Middle East, an alternative to its precarious southern route. Moreover, dozens of seaports being constructed by China in different littoral states will strengthen the Chinese economy which has already increased in the last decades. Similarly, to feed almost one and a half billion people was not plain sailing for the Communist Government, nonetheless, she had already acquired massive lands in various parts of the world for farming to carry out their food requirements. MSRI, perhaps is going to be the linchpin, by bridging China with those agricultural lands. Western allies, particularly America denounced it by deeming it as a part of the hegemonic desire of the Communist regime, which would be an existential threat to the pre-existing world order, especially Western liberal democracy. Realistically, Western apprehension sounds abstruse as MSRI covers those states that are not democratic or have pseudo-democracy. Despite this narrative, obscurity in bilateral deals, as China enforces not to disclose agreements and treaties also wither its objectives. Therefore, it is the test of the political acumen of Chinese leadership to bring transparency in bilateral agreements and nudge Western narratives by prudent diplomacy, to accomplish maximum out of it. The unprecedented and active role of China, both militarily and economically in the Indo-Pacific and the American alignments to counter China are exacerbating the appeasement of this region. If this adversary carries on it will bring political calamity to the global realm, and Indo-Pacific is going to be its pivot soon.