Abstract
This article argues that under the Donald Trump administration, American policy towards China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was largely shaped by ‘securitisation’ approach. Accordingly, the discourse of securitisation approach maintained that BRI is inherently and intentionally flawed; it is a gift with ulterior designs; China is undermining the United States’ (US) hegemony in the Indo-Pacific and finally; China on the whole constitutes a threat to American world order. This securitized reaction to the BRI is a significant representation of the broader ‘China Threat’ ethos currently guiding policy discourse in Washington. This paper argues that such a highly securitised perspective of the BRI is untenable on many grounds. Member countries view BRI primarily as an opportunity when fewer alternatives are at hand. The US perspective plays down the ‘agency’ of member countries and their domestic politics which have played key role in evolution of this initiative. Similarly, a securitized response overestimates the BRI threat to American world order while simultaneously ignoring its potential to contribute to Asia’s pressing infrastructure demands. More importantly, this paper contends that the limitations of BRI are actually ‘institutional’ in essence and not the subject matter of security debate.
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Notes
It is important to mention some of the sources interviewed thought the US’ securitisation of the BRI is understandable for some reasons. Josh Kurlantzick said that understanding OBOR in terms of highly securitised perspective is “plausible” as “There is a good deal of evidence of this, but it’s not beyond dispute.” James Schwemlein was of the view that the “road” or the maritime aspect of BRI has potential to challenge American interests in the region and therefore, the US has reasons to interpret the project “as a security issue”. According to Ngeow Chow Bing, the security and geopolitical implications of the BRI are undeniable but “but to interpret it exclusively through such lenses will only result in one conclusion and one course of action -that China is a threat and the BRI is a challenge to world order.”
In May 2020, the contract to construct Diamer Bhasha dam was awarded to Power China (of China) and FWO (of Pakistan) under a joint venture.
Pakistan categorically rejected Alice Wells’ warnings twice. Similarly, Sri Lankan diplomats and government officials have also sought to clarify Washington’s (and New Delhi’s) misgivings on deals with China.
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Eyck Freymann for his contributions to this research. In addition, Douglas H. Paal, Dr. Ngeow Chow Bing, James Schwemlein, Prof. Yiwie Wang, Prof. Li Xing, Harris Zainul, Hong Zhang, Akif Hasni and a number of other people deserve appreciation for their time, views and suggestions.
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Shah, A.R. Revisiting China Threat: The US’ Securitization of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. Chin. Polit. Sci. Rev. 8, 84–104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-021-00179-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-021-00179-0