The Belt and Road Initiative: China’s grand strategy to fashion a Sinocentric world order?
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a news conference at the end of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China. May 15, 2017. Jason Lee/Reuters Xi Jinping took over as the Chinese President in 2013 with a call for furthering the “Chinese Dream,” a vision for China’s development and rejuvenation. Over the years, through his speeches, Xi has given Chinese foreign policy a new, strategic direction, including the concept of “ fen fa you wei ” or “striving for achievement.” This was seen as moving away from China’s long held position of “keeping a low profile, hiding your strategies, and biding your time.” It also reflected China’s redefined “political ambition to seek global great power status and its long-term plan of reshaping the global economic structure.” [1] The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) unveiled in 2013 by Xi Jinping was a key component of this vision. Conceived as a two-pronged plan using land and maritime routes, BRI represents one of the large...