Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative Research Articles

Role of the Silk Road Economic Belt in Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth in Central Asia

Objective: The study aims to confirm the People's Republic of China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative as a sustainable development strategy for Central Asian countries, in particular Kazakhstan. The article aims to determine how participation in the Silk Road Economic Belt can help these countries ensure sustainable economic growth, focusing on factors such as GDP per capita and GDP growth rate. Methods: The main research method is the comparative method, which allows the use of comparative descriptive analysis to justify the prospects of participation of Central Asian countries in the Silk Road Economic Belt project. Statistical analysis and the index method are used to quantitatively demonstrate the volatility of economic dynamics. Results: Statistical data analysis reveals the volatility of economic growth in Kazakhstan, which confirms the need for the country to participate in the Silk Road Economic Belt. The analysis of economic indicators of other Central Asian countries shows that GDP per capita and GDP growth rates are lower compared to Kazakhstan, suggesting that participation in the Silk Road Economic Belt gives these countries strategic advantages as well, particularly in the implementation of joint transport and logistics projects. Conclusion: In light of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Silk Road Economic Belt project offers potential benefits to Central Asian countries, especially in areas such as transportation and logistics, and emphasizes the importance of global cooperation and strategic partnerships in achieving economic sustainability.

Республика Иран: встраивание в глобальные тенденции развития мировой экономики

The Islamic Republic of Iran, as an actor in the world economy, is developing in accordance with the emerging trends, however, the manifestation of these trends is quite individual. The place and role of Iran in the modern world are considered, the features of its development and expansion of cooperation, primarily, trade in the conditions of imposed sanctions are analyzed. It was stated that Iran also pursues a protectionist policy towards a number of countries. It is proved that Iran is quite seriously implemented in the world economy, which allows us to talk about the manifestation of the main trends in the Iranian economy, in particular, development and regionalization, within the framework of which Iran’s cooperation and promising relations with the EAEU within the framework of a member of this organization, cooperation with China and India within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and the Transcontinental Transport Corridor “North-South”, the Organization for Economic Cooperation. It is said that Iran does not remain aloof from the development of the digitalization and from the circulation of cryptocurrencies, the introduction of digital money, the development of its own payment system, its own Internet. There are considered the means of regulating this area, in particular, of mining and of developing digital money. The impact of the pandemic on the development of the considered trends is proved. The factors determining the future development of Iran are identified. It has been inferred that global trends will continue to manifest themselves in six main scenarios: from the great economic decline (least likely) to the economic prosperity. It is found that further economic transformations carried out under the influence of these trends will contribute to the development of the country.

Evaluation of the coordinated development of urbanization-resources-environment from the incremental perspective of Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang has experienced a relatively rapid economic growth over the last few decades due to China's silk road economic belt initiative. This study aims to develop a coordinated development index for exploring the relationship between urbanization, resources and environment from 2004 to 2018. The inflection points of resources environment pressure caused by urbanization rate were measured using the Kaya identity, Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model and regression analysis. The results show that: (1) Urbanization has growth rapidly, with the comprehensive urbanization level of 0.851 in 2018, which is about eight times higher than that in 2004. In contrast, resources and environment have decreased at an average annual declining rate of 0.77% and 5.29%, respectively; (2) From 2004 to 2018, the coordination degrees of the resources-environment, urbanization-environment, and urbanization-resources had a fluctuating growth trend, with the coordination values of 0.505–0.987, 0.171–0.847 and 0.469–0.923, respectively. Overall, the coordinated development index of urbanization, resources and environment has achieved an average annual growth rate of 1.89%; and (3) The urbanization rate of Xinjiang has reached 50.91% in 2018, enters middle rising channel of inverted N-shaped curve implied that the resources environment pressure tended to deteriorate first and then gradually improve. Therefore, it is necessary continue to follow the path of resources-conserving urbanization and environment-friendly urbanization to achieve the sustainable development in Xinjiang.

Research into the Contribution Rate of Technological Progress to the Industrial Economic Growth of Xinjiang

Since the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative was put forward in 2013, the industrial structure of Xinjiang has become increasingly rationalized, and Xinjiang’s economic development has entered a stage of rapid development. Based on the Solow residual value method, this paper uses the gray correlation model to estimate the elastic coefficient of capital and labor input and calculates the contribution rate of technological progress in 25 industrial sectors in Xinjiang. The research results show that more than 50% of the industrial sector in Xinjiang contributes more than 50% to technological progress, and Xinjiang’s economy has entered a period of intensive rapid development.

Analysis of green total factor productivity trend and its determinants for the countries along silk roads

AbstractIn coping with increasing energy consumption and the consequential environmental pollution, green development is becoming an important part of social development. Since the inauguration of China’s Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative (BRI), economic cooperation between China and other countries along BRI has seen much growth. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the levels of green total factor productivity (GTFP) of the countries in the Silk Roads Economic Belt (B&R) and examine how these levels vary spatially and evolve temporally. In this paper, a panel regression analysis with DEA windows is used to study the spatiotemporal trends of the levels of GTFP. The results are: (1) The B&R countries have seen an increase in their overall levels of GTFP over time; (2) There are regional differences in the levels of GTFP, with higher efficiency in Western Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, and lower efficiency in Southeast and Central Asia; (3) The analysis of GTFP for countries in these regions shows that the efficiencies of most countries have been improving, with that of only a few countries have been decreasing; (4) By using regression analysis, we find that variables such as import, export, industrial structure, and urban affect the B&R countries with growing GTFP.

Sino-Russian cooperation as the basis for Greater Eurasia

Abstract China and Russia are the main driving forces of Eurasian integration. Russia is pursuing its “pivot to Asia,” while China is branching out to the West through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The interests of Russia and China meet in Eurasia and their friendly relations have led to several cooperation projects there. The most important are linkages between the Eurasian Economic Union and Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative and the plan to create a broader Eurasian Economic Partnership or Greater Eurasia. This article studies the reasons which led the two countries to intensify their cooperation in Eurasia and the current state and prospects of that cooperation.

Security Risks Faced by Tajikistan and Its Impact on the "Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative"

Security Risks Faced by Tajikistan and Its Impact on the "Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative"

Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative and Inbound Tourism Development in the Uyghur Autonomous Region

The “Silk Road Economic Belt” (SREB) is a land-based component of the “One Belt One Road” initiative that intends to create an economic corridor connecting China with the rest of the Eurasian continent via Central Asia. The aims of the SREB are to stimulate multilateral trade and maintain open border regimes that consequently promote Sino-Central Asia cross-border movements including international tourism. Chinese authority accredited the success of the SREB to long-term stability in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). In order to achieve long-term stability, Beijing has determined to fight against the “three evil forces” namely political separatism, Islamist extremism and terrorism. These hardline measures of keeping the regional stability and consequent government policies and regulations towards cross-border tourism, however, hamper the international tourism mobility to the XUAR, which makes inbound tourism development in the XUAR vulnerable and a side issue of the SREB.

Pairing the EU and the SREB: problems and prospects for development

Since 2014, many experts, politicians and diplomats have been discussing the possibility of politically and economically effectively linking the Eurasian Economic Union and the Chinese Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. The initiative to create the Silk Road Economic Belt implies the creation of a large international economic niche in Eurasia, where it will be possible to invest practically all projectsplanned in foreign policy and foreign economic spheres. In addition, the SREB initiative implies the constructionof a symbiotic system in the Eurasian space, characterized by a free structure, high inclusivity, its main principle is «partnership without an alliance». There is a very active discussion of the possibilities of even wider integration and the construction of a «Greater Eurasia» or economic partnership based on a set of integration processes and various forms of trade and economic, as well as transport and energy cooperation between the EAEU, PRC, ASEAN, EU and other leading economic associationsin the Eurasian space. At the same time, when Kazakhstan is at the stage of political transformation, today the republic is located between the two most economically powerful centers of the continent – the European Union and the People’s Republic of China. Each of them significantly exceeds the Eurasian Economic Union interms of aggregate economic power. This situation prompts Russia to position the EAEU as an «effective link between Europe and the dynamic Asia-Pacific region». In this regard, this article sets the goal of disclosing the conjugations of two promising and economically ambitious «unions» that can fundamentally affect the further economic growth of the state. And also do an analysis of the problems and development prospects of both the EAEU and the SREB.Key words: Kazakhstan, EU, Silk Road, economic conjugation, development prospects.

Evaluation and analysis of ecological security in arid areas of Central Asia based on the emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model

Though well-positioned geographically to benefit from China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Central Asia nevertheless suffers from a fragile ecological environment. Therefore, it is crucially important for the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to achieve sustainable development of their respective social economies and ecological environments through the evaluation of their ecological security. This paper applies the modified emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model to optimize the traditional ecological footprint model by analyzing and evaluating the ecological security of Central Asia during the time frame of 1992–2014. The paper will also use the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to forecast changes which might occur during 2020–2025. The results indicate that the EEF mainly decreased from 1992 to 1998 but then gradually increased from 1999 onwards, with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan showing the largest change rates of 3.93% and 2.77%, respectively, from 1999 to 2014. The highest EEF occurred in Turkmenistan (20.27 hm2/cap), followed by Kazakhstan (19.19 hm2/cap), with Tajikistan registering the lowest (2.96 hm2/cap). In Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, fossil energy consumption footprints contributed the most to total EEFs, at 38.34%, 57.06% and 46.52%, respectively, while grassland (51.52%) and building land (50.49%) contributed the most to Kyrgyzstan's and Tajikistan's total EEFs, respectively. The emergy ecological carrying capacity (EEC) largely decreased in all five Central Asian countries, with the largest decrease occurring in Turkmenistan at annual average change rates of −1.93%. The highest EEC was in Kazakhstan (30.36 hm2/cap), followed by Turkmenistan (15.85 hm2/cap), while the lowest occurred in Uzbekistan (2.86 hm2/cap). Additionally, during the period under study, the ecological surpluses and deficits in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were 11.18, 2.21, 2.04, −4.42 and −7.57 hm2/cap, respectively, with the largest ecological deficit occurring in Uzbekistan. There was also a persistent rise in ecological pressure in all five countries, especially in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the ARIMA model forecasts that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will change from ecological surpluses to ecological deficits from 2020 onwards, and that the ecological pressure grades for these countries will rise to level 3 (relatively unsafe). Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are forecast to be at level 1 (at risk). The significance of this research is optimizing the ecological footprint model and applying it in Central Asia for the first time. The work also quantitatively investigates Central Asia's ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity on both a national and regional basis and evaluates the ecological security of each country. Overall, this research not only provides guidance for decision-makers to develop sustainable strategies in Central Asia, but also serves as a scientific reference for other arid regions to pursue ecological security and sustainable development.

The Eurasian Economic Union and the Integration Process in the Asia Pacific

Since 2015, the Eurasian Economic Commission has become a key agent of Russian external trade policy and the policy of connecting with China’s Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. It has been responsible for all of Russia’s current free trade negotiations, and in the future may encompass wider frames of international economic cooperation. However, because of its short track record, the Eurasian Economic Commission is not very well studied in Russia or abroad. This article analyzes the current international exchanges between the Commission and Asian countries, and attempts to study other formats of cooperation with Asian actors where the Commission can be involved in the future according to its mandate. Our study reveals that bilateral exchanges remain dominant between the EAEU and Asian partners, and a switch to multilateral tracks like EAEU‐ASEAN or EAEU‐RCEP can occur only in the medium‐term future. Both the analysis of open negotiations and of the Commission’s organizational resources prove this hypothesis.

The Celestial Empire looks to the West

The Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) initiative demonstrates the Chinese desire to become a political and economic leader of the modern world. In this article the author analyses popular views and opinions made by Chinese experts about the “Economic Belt”. He also describes the key trends occurred on the early stages of the initiative 's implementation. The work touches on such aspects as resource allocation, trade and investment policy, development of transport infrastructure. However, SREB initiative is likely to face some significant problems on the next stages such as intergovernmental and interagency communications, potential countermeasures from the side of the USA or regional powers, terrorism or high level of political uncertainty in some of the involved states. The author concludes by giving his view on the potential role of the Silk Road Economic Belt as a new element of the Chinese concept of foreign policy. Obviously, strategic objectives overweight the economic ones. However, the lack of concrete information makes it difficult to interpret the purposes of the project accurately. Beijing's real rationale remains an issue for further research to provide valuable insight for Russia-led integration projects in the post-Soviet space.

China’s silk road economic belt initiative in Central Asia: economic and security implications

The Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) initiative, launched by Xi Jinping in 2013 as the Central Asian component of the Eurasian Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is presented as a trade and infrastructural developmental initiative that benefits all to deliver stability. It consolidates Beijing’s existing economic investments and security-building measures, while launching new projects to link the regions of Central Asia and South Asia more closely with China and extend the arc of security westward and develop these as a transport corridor linking China to Europe. This article examines the interaction between China’s infrastructural investments and security dynamics in the Central Asian region, exploring why the BRI/SREB, presented by China as primarily as a developmental vision, is fraught with wide-ranging security implications. We examine the reception of China’s BRI/SREB in Central Asia focusing on the following three dimensions: (1) the lure of Chinese investments which makes SREB particularly attractive for Central Asian countries; (2) the securitization thrust of the Silk Road initiative which consolidates the power of the Central Asian regimes but also grants considerable role to China in managing security arrangements; (3) elite maneuvering between the lure of Chinese investments and appeasing popular anxieties about China’s growing influence. It points to the overall positive reception in the region to the aid and investment offered by China, while noting the variance in their responses based on the implications of SREB for their sovereignty and security and also concerns on whether the promised benefits of connectivity and development (a “win-win” scenario) will materialize. The article concludes by outlining the implications of China’s rising economic and security engagement in Central Asia and the close Sino-Russian partnership for European financial and security interests and highlights the areas of cooperation and complementarity between China and EU in the region.

New Silk Road

This article reviews the possible effect that the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] Silk Road Economic Belt initiative could have on the transport system of Russia’s Far East. We note that while formally coupled to the project, the system currently meets local objectives for shipments with China and is not included within the initiative’s global targets. In this connection, implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt cannot harm the Far East’s transport system. On the contrary, the region has an opportunity to expand transport-related cooperation with the PRC.

China’s Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative: Network and Influence Formation in Central Asia

This article demonstrates that, rather than constituting a new model for Central Asian international relations, the SREB’s real strategic value for China is as an organizational concept and as an influence multiplier. In recasting its Central Asian bilateral relations as part of the SREB engagement model, Beijing has overlaid a strategic-level concept to its otherwise disparate patterns of engagement. In so doing, the Xi administration has consolidated its multiple lines of efforts and the diverse Chinese-based actors—both state and private—into a grand narrative: one that serves the strategic purpose of integration. The Xi administration has used (and is using) this integration to expand its influence throughout the Central Asian region, both through its bilateral relations and through a SREB-resulting network of Central Asian states. In particular, one sees regular instances within China’s SREB engagement where the Xi administration uses the initiative to reconstitute regional states’ development priorities, interests and relations in ways that benefit China’s overall strategic interests.

INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION OF EDUCATION WITHIN THE SCO FRAMEWORK: A DRIVING FORCE FOR JOINT CONSTRUCTION OF THE ‘SILK ROAD ECONOMIC BELT’

The ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ (SREB) project was presented by Xi Jinping in the autumn of 2013 in Kazakhstan. The goals of building the Silk Road Economic Belt coincide with the objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SREB initiative got a positive response from the SCO member states. Humanistic cooperation, especially in the field of education, is becoming one of the fastest growing areas of cooperation within the SCO. The SCO University (USCO), as a form of the integration process within the SCO framework, is an important driving force for the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. In this paper, the results of education cooperation between the universities within the SCO are analyzed; deficiencies and imbalances in talent cultivation are pointed out. The study is based on the methods of quantitative, qualitative and comparative analysis. In order to identify the problems and obstacles in talent cultivation and to propose solutions, the method of questionnaire is used. The paper discusses the results of the integration of education within the SCO framework and the role of the USCO in developing cooperation between the member states, as well as the challenges faced by the participant countries in implementing the strategy of international integration of education.

Iran–China Cooperation in the Silk Road Economic Belt: From Strategic Understanding to Operational Understanding

AbstractIran served as a bridge in the ancient Silk Road, connecting the East and the West. It also has great potential to play an important role in the new Silk Road. The present study analyzes the factors affecting Iran–China cooperation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative at the strategic and operational levels. This article shows that, at the strategic level, Iran defines this project as an opportunity to improve its status in the world economy, expanding its room to manoeuvre in the international arena and developing its ties with China, a rising great power. At the operational level, the opportunities and challenges for Iran–China cooperation could be summarized as pertaining to five realms within the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative: policy coordination, facilitation of connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people‐to‐people bonds. The present study asserts that the main opportunity for cooperation between the two countries lies in facilitating connectivity and that the key challenge is financial integration.

China's Silk Road and Kazakhstan's Bright Path: Linking Dreams of Prosperity

In 2013, President Xi Jinping announced China's Silk Road Economic Belt-the land-based component of the Belt and Road Initiative-during his visit to Astana. The choice of the venue did not seem accidental. Kazakhstan had already become a prime partner for China in Eurasia, with various connecting infrastructure projects completed or underway and with bilateral cooperation diversifying and blooming. The announced Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative promises better continental and intraregional connectivity and can only add wind into the sails of China-Kazakhstan cooperation.This essay will give a brief overview of energy and transportation infrastructure already connecting China and Kazakhstan to show that cooperation between the two countries considerably predates the Belt and Road Initiative. Then I will discuss the complementarity of their interests and current visions for development and prosperity: China's Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan's Bright Path (Nurly Zhol). It is important to address the gap in perceptions of Chinese investments by the Kazakhstani ruling elites and the public at large, which will be the subject of the next section. Finally, I will analyze the implications of growing cooperation between China and Kazakhstan for the latter's political and economic development. I will also reflect on the geopolitical aspect of the Belt and Road Initiative and raise concerns about its sustainability and potential impact on governance in Eurasia.China and Kazakhstan: Existing Energy and Transportation InfrastructureIn the energy sector, bilateral cooperation has been advancing since the 1990s due to the complementary objectives and geographic proximity of resource-rich Kazakhstan and energy-thirsty China. In 2009 the two countries launched a pipeline linking oil fields in western Kazakhstan with Xinjiang in China. The Central Asia-China gas pipeline, which supplies China with half of its natural gas imports, was first agreed upon by Beijing and Astana and later was negotiated with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.1There have also been long-term efforts to build better transportation infrastructure connecting the two countries. Unlike Russia, China's traditional land gateway to Europe, Kazakhstan is unreservedly enthusiastic about serving as a transit area for trade between Europe and Asia.2 In fact, becoming the bridge between East and West has been its official strategic development project since the early years of independence. The first railway link from Dostyk in Kazakhstan to Alashankou in China was launched in 1991. The second link at Khorgos, where the two sides began building an ambitious multi-modal logistical hub, dry port, and special economic zone (SEZ), the Khorgos-Eastern Gate, was launched in 2012.In 2008, Kazakhstan began construction of the West Europe-West China Highway, which will stretch from the Lianyungang port on the Yellow Sea to St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. By 2016, China and Kazakhstan had completed their parts of the project, and Kazakhstani president Nursultan Nazarbayev had to call on Russia to finish its section.2 The highway is also connected to the Khorgos-Eastern Gate SEZ. In 2014 the parties also signed an agreement on building a joint logistics terminal at Lianyungang, giving landlocked Kazakhstan its window to the sea.From the Kazakhstani government's perspective, enhancing the country's transit potential should help develop the national transportation and communication infrastructure, which is not an easy task for a country the size of Western Europe. For example, Astana's key motivation for joining the Central Asia-China gas pipeline project was to satisfy domestic gas consumption needs by connecting the country's energy-rich west with the densely populated south.The Silk Road Economic Belt and the Bright Path: Complementary VisionsIn December 2015, Presidents Xi and Nazarbayev announced plans to link the Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan's Bright Path economic policy. …

Оценка изменения уровня экономической безопасности России при реализации инициативы Экономического пояса Шелкового пути (экономическая кооперация и экономическое противоборство)

Оценка изменения уровня экономической безопасности России при реализации инициативы Экономического пояса Шелкового пути (экономическая кооперация и экономическое противоборство)

Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative: Perspectives and Chellanges of Russian-Chinese Cooperation

In September, 2013, the Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana announced a new Chinese initiative on Silk Road Economic Belt. The main purpose of the project is to create a new economic and investment space, which would include China, the countries of Asia-Pacific Region, Eastern Europe as well as Russia and other CIS countries. The economies of countries of the area are expected to take about 29% of the global GDP in the next 10 years with the trade between China and countries along the belt and road to double. It will increase the demand for passenger and freight transportation systems expansion. In view of this, the space is intended to contribute to the infrastructure development as well as to the institutional basis establishment for a long-term international commercial projects implementation in China's strategic partner countries.