Internal and External Reasons for China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative

Abstract

Over the past decades, China has managed to become one of the most developed countries in the world. Having strengthened its economy, China began to actively pursue a foreign policy, one of the instruments for the implementation of which was the One Belt, One Road initiative. Initially, the initiative was considered by the leadership of the PRC as a mechanism for solving internal problems, as well as a plan to promote relations with the countries of Southeast Asia. However, as it developed, the initiative began to acquire the features of a foreign policy strategy, the purpose of which is to provide China with a reliable connection with the world, capable of functioning even in the event of escalation of conflicts and US attempts to control communications connecting China with the world. According to the Chinese authorities, the global financial crisis of 2008, conflicts in the Middle East, terrorist attacks - all this indicates that global changes are ripe for the world. A system of international relations based on US interests is no longer in the interests of all mankind. The promotion of the One Belt, One Road initiative is seen in this context as a road map for the reform of the existing world order, the emergence of which is predetermined by the very course of history. In this article, we will look at the internal and external reasons for the launch of the One Belt, One Road initiative, a detailed analysis of which will help to understand the true intentions of the Chinese authorities, as well as to determine the place that, in their opinion, China should take in the world.