The Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor: Complementarity or Competition?

Abstract

Though the Chinese government has projected the BRI in economic terms, it has been viewed critically by Australia, Japan, and the U.S. Turkey has, as a geostrategic connector of Asia and Europe, registered its trade interest in the BRI along with projecting the Middle Corridor Initiative (MCI) as a means to realize regional market connectivity and commercial cooperation. In view of the aforesaid, this study aims to explain whether the BRI has factored into Turkey’s Asia policy and to what extent the MCI can complement the BRI. Moreover, the study analyzed the existing scale of China-Turkey trade and proposed a set of opportunities offered by both the BRI and the MCI. Nonetheless, the stated opportunities are beset with multiple challenges ranging from transregional instability to socio-economic upheavals. In order to accrue trade dividends in terms of inter-initiative cooperation and connectivity, both China and Turkey will have to play a leading role in developing policy coordination and establishing cultural linkages among the BRI/MCI community. Thus, operationally, Turkey would carry immense influence in Asian affairs economically and strategically.