Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Summary

"Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative" edited by Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham, is an exploration of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that emphasizes the need for inclusivity and cohesion in global governance and introduces moral considerations into policy analysis.

Abstract

The book "Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative," edited by political scientists Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham, offers a comprehensive analysis of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2020, the volume goes beyond the material aspects of the BRI to address the fundamental challenge of creating a global order that is inclusive and capable of managing diverse interests and differences. The authors argue for a governance model that recognizes all stakeholders without prejudice, a concept that is increasingly relevant in a polarized world facing multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental challenges. The book also draws parallels with ancient Silk Road travelers to suggest a more inclusive approach to global governance, despite the current autocratic nature of China's leadership. The contributions to this volume are recognized as a unique and valuable addition to the extensive literature on the BRI.

Opinions

The book is commended for introducing a moral category into policy and policy analysis, which is seen as an important and commendable effort in a polarized world.
The authors emphasize the importance of inclusivity, cohesion, and the recognition of diverse political, cultural, ethnic, and religious differences in global governance.
The relevance of the book's themes is highlighted by the global health crisis and environmental issues, which underscore the inadequacy of the current nation-state system to address global problems effectively.
The book suggests that the BRI, despite being led by an autocratic Chinese regime, could learn from the experiences of ancient Silk Road travelers in fostering a more inclusive international community.
The volume is described as an invaluable and unique contribution to the extensive literature on the Belt and Road Initiative, providing perspectives that are often unrecognized or underemphasized.

Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative

ALAN CHONG AND QUANG MIN PHAM

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 2020

October 16, 2020 James M. Dorsey

Political scientists Alan Chong and Quang Min Pham bring with their edited volume, Critical Reflections on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020), originality as well as dimensions and perspectives to the discussion about the Belt and Road that are highly relevant but often either unrecognized or underemphasized.

The book is about much more than the material aspects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In fact, various chapter authors use the Belt and Road to look at perhaps the most fundamental issue of our times: how does one build a global world order and societies that are inclusive, cohesive and capable of managing interests of all stakeholders as well as political, cultural, ethnic and religious differences in ways that all are recognized without prejudice and/or discrimination?d

In doing so, the book introduces a moral category into policy and policy analysis. That is an important and commendable effort even if it may be a hard sell in an increasingly polarized world in which prejudice and bias and policies that flow from it have gained new legitimacy and become mainstream in various parts of the world.

Nonetheless, it allows for the introduction of considerations that are fundamental to managing multiple current crises.

One just has to look at the pandemic the world is trying to come to grips with, the need for a global health care governance that can confront future pandemics, and the world’s environmental crisis to realize the relevance of former Singaporean diplomat and public intellectual Kishore Mahbubani’s description of the nation state system as a boat with 193 cabins and cabin administrators but no captain at the helm.

In his contributions to the book, Chong looks for answers in the experience of ancient Silk Road travellers. That may be a standard that a Belt and Road managed by an autocratic Chinese leadership that is anything but inclusive would at best struggle to meet.

That does not detract from the book being an invaluable and unique contribution to a vast literature on the Belt and Road.

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Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He is also a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, a globally syndicated column and blog.