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The Geopolitics of Chinese Overseas Investment in Ports Under the 'One Belt One Road' Initiatives

'일대일로' 이니셔티브하의 중국 해외항만투자의 지정학적 접근

  • Lee, Choong-Bae (Department of International Logistics, Chung-Ang University)
  • 이충배 (중앙대학교 국제물류학과)
  • Received : 2019.02.05
  • Accepted : 2019.02.27
  • Published : 2019.02.28

Abstract

The 'One Belt One Road (OBOR)' initiative, which was promulgated as part of the enlargement policy along with the advent of Xi Jinping in 2013, is a policy to expand China's political and economic power externally through linkages with neighboring countries. China's overseas port investment plays an important role in the promotion of the 'OBOR' policy from the coast of China through maritime transportation routes from S.E Asia to Mediterranean and Europe. Since China's overseas port investment has been made from several factors such as political, economic, and military motives, it differs in purpose and character from investments made by private companies, such as Global Port Operators(GTO) which consider profitability first. This study aims to address future prospects and implications by analyzing the geopolitics of China's overseas port investment under the 'One Belt One Road' initiative. According to the results, China's overseas port investment is dominated by state-owned enterprises and political and security factors are more important than profitability. China's overseas port investment has been on a large scale in a short period of time, and China has faced with various problems both domestically and internationally. such as debt default, environmental problems, subordination problems from recipient countries and political and military confrontation with great countries such as United States, Japan and India etc.

Keywords

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