Korea Trade Review (무역학회지)

Korea Trade Research Association (한국무역학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Impacts of Inland Ports on the Geopolitical Relations between China and Central Asia under the 'One Belt One Road' Initiative

'일대일로' 이니셔티브 하에서 내륙항이 중국-중앙아시아의 지정학적 관계에 미치는 영향

  • Choong-bae Lee (Department of International Trade and Logistics, Chung-Ang University) ;
  • Jin-Ho Noh (Department of International Trade, Soon Chun Hyang University) ;
  • Yanfeng Liu (Chung-Ang University)
  • Received : 2020.05.18
  • Accepted : 2020.06.28
  • Published : 2020.06.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

China's 'One Belt One Road' initiative has had a profound impact on China's relationship with Central Asia, which shares borders at North-western region. Central Asia plays an important role in securing the export market of Chinese products, supply of raw materials, and transportation route to Europe. The inland port is of significance to facilitate the development of logistics, trade and industry in the surrounding areas by enabling the distribution and import and export clearance in the region by performing the role of the seaport on the hinterland. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the development of inland ports in central and western China on the geopolitical relationship between China and Central Asia. To this end, we analyze the status of inland port development in China's Midwest by employing the SWOT-PEST analysis method to analyze the current status as well as prospects of trade, investment and transportation routes with Central Asia in terms of geopolitics. As a result of the analysis, the relations between China and Central Asian Countries are becoming more politically and economically close, but it has brought about serious challenges by domestic and foreign environmental changes. Therefore, the development of the inland ports in central and western China are determined by the geopolitical relations under 'One Belt One Road' initiative between China and Central Asia, while the development of the inland port is also expected to serve as a catalyst for the development of both regions.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the 4th EducationalTraining Program for the Shipping, Port and Logistics from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

References

  1. Brooking (2018), "The new geopolitics of Central Asia: China vies for influence in Russia's backyard", https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/01/02/the-new-geopolitics-of-central-asia-china-vies-for-influence-in-russias-backyard/
  2. Callahan, W.A. (2016), China's "Asia Dream": The Belt Road Initiative and the new regional order", Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 1-18.
  3. Callaghan M & P. Hubbard (2016), "The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Multilateralism on the Silk Road, China Economic Journal, 1-24.
  4. Dave, B. (2018), "Silk Road economic belt: effects of China's soft power diplomacy in Kazakhstan", in M Laruelle (ed), China's Belt and Road initiative and its impact in Central Asia, The George Washington University, Washington, DC., 97-108.
  5. De Soyres, F., A. Mulabdic A and Murray S, et al.(2018), "How much will the Belt and Road Initiative reduce trade costs?", The World Bank, 2018.
  6. Eastwest.eu (2019), "Khorgos, a pearl in the desert", https://eastwest.eu/en/dry-port-khorgos-new-silk-road/
  7. Economist Intelligence Unit (2016), One Belt, One Road: An Economic Roadmap, The Economist Corporate Network.
  8. Biliang, H. (2019), "Building the Belt and Road: The Impact on China and Central Asia", in Emerson, M., H. Biliang, R.M. Nag, S.F. Starr and E. Vinokurov(eds), The Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia and the South Caucasus: The Perspectives of China, Russia, the European Union, India, and the United States, Emerging Markets Forum, 1-8.
  9. Council on Foreign Relations, "China's Massive Belt and Road Initiative", 28 Jan. 2020.
  10. ESCAP (2017), A Study of ICT Connectivity for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Enhancing the Collaboration in China-Central Asia Corridor, Bangkok, Thailand.
  11. Feng, Z. (2014), "Strategic Transport Arteries Connecting China to Eurasia-Details of the Area, Route Delineation and Function of the New Silk Road Economic Belt", Frontiers, 4, 79-85.
  12. Ghiasy, R. and J. Zhou (2017), "The Silk Road Economic Belt: Considering Security Implications and EU-China Cooperation Prospects", Sweden and Germany, SIPRI & Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
  13. Hanaoka, S., M.B. Regmi (2011), "Promoting intermodal freight transport through the development of dry ports in Asia: An environmental perspective", IATSS Research, 35(1), 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2011.06.001
  14. Huang, Y. (2016), "Understanding China's Belt & Road Initiative: Motivation, framework and assessment", China Economic Review, 40, 314-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2016.07.007
  15. ITF (2019), "Enhancing Connectivity and Freight in Central Asia", International, Transport Forum Policy Papers, 71, OECD Publishing, Paris.
  16. Joo, Jang-Hwan (2010), "The Change of China's Economic Strategy for Central Asia: From 'Restoration of Silk Road' to 'Incorporation into The Greater China'", Korean Journal of Political Science, 18(2), 217-236.
  17. Joo, Jang-Hwan (2014), "China's Policy for Central Asia: Background, Contents and Prospects for the West Push Strategy", Korean-Chinese Social Science Studies, 12(3), 55-73.
  18. Jei, Sung Hoon, Hee-Seung Na, Pil-Soo Choi and Dolgormaa, L. (2016), "Development Potential of China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and Korea's Linkage Plan", KIEP.
  19. Kassenova, N. (2017), "China's Silk Road and Kazakhstan's bright path: linking dreams of prosperity", Asia Policy, 24, 110-116. https://doi.org/10.1353/asp.2017.0028
  20. Khon, Y and B.S., Shin(2015), "Chinas Central Asian Strategy and Economic Cooperation between China and Kazakhstan", Asia Review, 4(2), 181-204. https://doi.org/10.24987/SNUACAR.2015.02.4.2.181
  21. Kim, Young-hoon and Suk-Chul Rim (2012), "A Performance Evaluation Model for Inland Container Depots", 2012 Proceedings of Korea Society for Railway, 353-357.
  22. Kim, Young Jin (2018), "'One Road One Belt' of China and Responses from the Central Asian Countries: Opportunities for Economic Revitalization", Asian Regional Review, 1(1), 1-6.
  23. Kohli, H. (2018), "Looking at China's Belt and Road Initiative from the Central Asian Perspective", Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies, 9(1-3), 1-9.
  24. Kunavut K, A. Okuda and D. Lee (2018), "Belt and road initiative (BRI): enhancing ICT connectivity in China-Central Asia corridor", Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 2(1): 116-141. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v2i1.164
  25. Laruelle, M. (Ed.). (2018), "China's Belt and Road Initiative and its Impact in Central Asia", George Washington University, Central Asia Program.
  26. Lee, Bong Geol (2015), "China's Dream. The current status and effects of 'One Belt One Road Project", Trade Focus, Institute for International Trade, 14(6), 1-26.
  27. Lee, Choong-bae and Jong-Chul Lee (2017), "The One Belt One Road Initiative and Development of Inland Port in China", Journal of Korea Port Economic Association, 33(3), 1-15.
  28. Lee, Choong-bae (2017), "A Study on Classification of the Development of Chinese Dry Ports under the 'One Belt One Road' Initiative", The Journal of Korea Research Society for Customs, 18(3), 173-194.
  29. Lee, Choong-bae (2018), "A Study on Evaluating Competitiveness of Chinas Inland Ports", International Commerce and Information Review, 20(2), 301-322.
  30. Lee, Choong-bae (2019), "The Geopolitics of Chinese Overseas Investment in Ports Under the One Belt One Road Initiatives", Korea Trade Review, 44(1), 285-299. https://doi.org/10.22659/KTRA.2019.44.1.285
  31. Lee, Geun Woo, Sung Jun Park, Eun Woo Kim, Se Won Kim, Ha Rim Lee (2016), A Study on Priorities of Removing Logistics Barriers in Central Asia, Korea Maritime Institute.
  32. Lee, Joo Ho, Hyeong Keun Kim, Beom Joong Kim, Chan Ho Kim, Keun Seop Kim, Ji Hyun Kang (2012). "Establishing Strategies to Enter the Western Logistics Market in China using International Cooperation between China and Central Asia", Report on Strategic Regional Studies by KIEP.
  33. Li, F., X. Shi and H. Hu (2011), "Location Selection of Dry Port Based on AP Clustering: The Case of Southwest China", Journal of System and Management Sciences, 1(5), 93-105.
  34. Li, Y., Q. Dong and S. Sun (2015), "Dry port development in China: Current status and future strategic directions", in Mi, W, Lee, L.H, Hirasawa, K. and Li, W. (eds.), Recent Developments on Port and Ocean Engineering, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, 73, 641-646. https://doi.org/10.2112/SI73-111.1
  35. Li, Y., K. Bolton, and T. Westphal (2016), "The Effect of the New Silk Road Railways on Aggregate Trade Volumes between China and Europe", Institute of East Asia Studies Working Paper, No. 109, Duisburg, Germany: University of Duisburg-Essen.
  36. Linn, J.F. and L.M. Zucker (2019), "An "inside-out" perspective on the impact of BRI in Central Asia and the South Caucasus: Overview", in Kohli, H. S., J. F. Linn and L. M. Zucker(eds.), China's Belt and Road Initiative: Potential Transformation of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Sage, Los Angeles, 31-62.
  37. Liu, Yanfeng and Choong-bae Lee (2018), "A Study on Classification and Development Model of Chinese Inland Ports on the Route of 'One Belt One Road'", Korea International Commerce Review, 33(3), 229-251.
  38. Liu, Yanfeng and Choong-bae Lee (2019), "A Study on the Geographical Distribution of Functional Classification and SWOT-PEST Analysis for Chinas Inland Ports". Journal of Korea Port Economic Association, 35(2), 77-92.
  39. Middle East Institute (2019), "Setting the Middle Corridor on track", Nov 18, 2019. https://www.mei.edu/publications/setting-middle-corridor-track
  40. Muzalevsky, Roman (2016), "China's Long March into Central Asia" https://www.stratfor.com/article/chinaslong-march-central-asia
  41. Ng, A. K. Y. & I. B. Cetin (2012), "Locational Characteristics of Dry Ports in Developing Economies: Some Lessons from Northern India", Regional Studies, 46(6), 757-773. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2010.532117
  42. Notteboom, T., and J. P. Rodrigue (2011), "Dry Ports and the Maritime Hinterland: Gaining Momentum," Port Technology International, 50, 21-24.
  43. Nikkei (2017), "Kazakhstan 'dry port' key hub for China's 'Belt and Road' scheme", Oct. 14, 2017.
  44. OECD (2018), "China's Belt and Road Initiative in the global trade, investment and finance landscape", in OECD Business and Finance Outlook 2018, OECD Publishing, Paris.
  45. Park, Byung In (2014). "Study on Parallel Strategy between Security and Economy of Xi Jinping's Foreign Policy toward Central Asia: Focusing on SCO and 'New Silk Road' Plan", Korea and World Politics, 30(4), 163-194. https://doi.org/10.17331/KWP.2014.30.4.006
  46. Park, Sang Nam (2005). "Study on Parallel Strategy between Security and Economy of Xi Jinping's Foreign Policy toward Central Asia: Focusing on SCO and 'New Silk Road' Plan", Journal of International Area Studies, 8(4), 3-33. https://doi.org/10.18327/jias.2005.01.8.4.3
  47. Park, Sung Jun, Gwang Soo Kilh, Se Woon Kim (2016), "China's "One Belt-One Road" Initiative and its Implications for Korean Maritime Logistics - From the Perspective of Global Value Chains-", Journal of Shipping and Logistics,32(2), 361-385. https://doi.org/10.37059/TJOSAL.2016.32.2.361
  48. Peyrouse, S. (2007), Economic Aspects of the Chinese-Central Asia Rapprochement, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program.
  49. Pomfret, R. (2018), "The Eurasian Land Bridge The Role of Service Providers in Linking the Regional Value Chains in East Asia and the European Union", ERIA Discussion Paper Series.
  50. Pradhan, R. (2018), "The Rise of China in Central Asia: The New Silk Road Diplomacy", Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 11, 9-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-017-0210-y
  51. Rastogi, C., J.F. Arvis (2014), The Eurasian connection: supply-chain efficiency along the modern silk route through Central Asia, The World Bank.
  52. Roso, V., J. Woxenius and K. Lumsden (2009), "The dry port concept: connecting container seaports with the hinterland", Journal of Transport Geography, 17, 338-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2008.10.008
  53. Samir, A. N., G. C. Nicoletta, and C. O. Alberto (2014), "Application of a Model Based on the Use of DELPHI Methodology and Multicriteria Analysis for the Assessment of the Quality of the Spanish Dry Ports Location," Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 162, 42-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.12.184
  54. Sapienza Universta Di Roma (2018), "The evaluation of potentiality of the Belt and Road Initiative", Kazakhstan part.
  55. Sarwar, F. (2018), "China's One Belt and One Road: Implications of 'New Eurasian Land Bridge' on Global Power Play in the Region", NUST, Journal of International Peace & Stability, 1(2), 131-144.
  56. Shin, Beom-Shik (2015), "The Rise of China and Responses from the Central Asian States", The Korean Association Of Slavic Studies, 30(2): 205-245.
  57. Slack, B. (1999), "Satellite terminals: A local solution to hub congestion?," Journal of Transport Geography, 7(4), 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0966-6923(99)00016-2
  58. Scobell, A. E. Ratner, M. Beckley (2014), "China's Strategy Toward South and Central Asia, RAND.
  59. Sulimanov, A.S. (2018), "Geopolitical interests of China in Central Asia", Revista San Gregorio.
  60. Tang, M. (2018), "The Belt and Road as the Lead to a New Era of Opening up", in Wei Liu(ed), China's Belt and Road Initiatives. Economic Geography Reformation, Springer, 49-56.
  61. The Atlantic (2019), "China's Path Forward Is Getting Bumpy", Oct 1, 2019.
  62. The Diplomat (2018), "Why Central Asia is Betting on China's Belt and Road", Aug 13, 2018.
  63. Thorne, D. and B. Spevack (2017), Harbored Ambitions. How China's Port Investments Are Strategically Reshaping the Indo-Pacific, Washington, DC: Center For Advanced Defense.
  64. Toktomushev, K. (2016), "Central Asia andn the Silk Road Economic Belt", Policy Brief 2016-1, University of Central Asia, 1-6.
  65. UNCTAD (1991), "Handbook on the Management and Operation of Dry Ports", Maritime Economics and Logistics, Geneva.
  66. Vakulchuk, R and I. Overland (2019), "China's Belt and Road Initiative through the lens of Central Asia", in Fanny M. Cheung and Ying-yi Hong(eds), Regional Connection under the Belt and Road Initiative. The prospectsfor Economic and Financial Cooperation, London: Routledge, 115-133.
  67. Wang, C. Q. Chen and R. Huang (2018), "Locating dry ports on a network: a case study on Tianjin Port", Maritime Policy and Management, 45(1), 71-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2017.1330558
  68. Wang, C. and J. Wei (2008), "Research on the Dry Port Location of Tianjin Port Based on Analytic Network Process", 2008 International Seminar on Business and Information Management, IEEE, 75-78.
  69. Wang, H (2020), "Comparative research on geo-economic cooperation between China and Central Asian Countries under the perspective of OBOR", World Regional Studies,29(1, 18-29.
  70. Wang, Y & Gi-Tae Yeo (2017), "Intermodal route selection for cargo transportation from Korea to Central Asia by adopting Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy ELECTRE I methods", Maritime Policy & Management, 45(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2017.1319581
  71. Wei, H., Z. Sheng & P.T. Lee (2018), "The role of dry port in hub-and-spoke network under Belt and Road Initiative", Maritime Policy & Management, 45(3), 370-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2017.1396505
  72. World Bank (2005), Trade and transport facilitation in Central Asia: Reducing the economic distance to markets, Infrastructure and energy services department.
  73. World Bank (2010), The Cost of Being Landlocked: Logistics Costs and Supply Chain Reliability.
  74. World Bank (2019), Belt and Road Economics. Opportunities and Risks of Transport Corridors.
  75. Zhao, M (2015), "China's New Silk Road Initiative", Istituto Affari Internazionali, 1-12.
  76. Zou, J., Liu, C., Yin, G & Tang, Z. (2015), "Spatial patterns and economic effects of China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road", Progress in Geography, 34(5), 598-605.