The21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Chinese:21世纪海上丝绸之路), commonly justMaritime Silk Road (MSR), is the sea route part of theBelt and Road Initiative which is[1] a Chinese strategic initiative to increase investment and foster collaboration across the historicSilk Road.[2][3][4]
The maritime silk road essentially runs through theIndo-Pacific and then theIndo-Mediterranean from the Chinese coast to the south viaHai Phong toJakarta,Singapore andKuala Lumpur through theStrait of Malacca then viaColombo in Sri Lanka towards the southern tip ofIndia viaMalé, to the East AfricanMombasa, from there toDjibouti, then through the Red Sea via theSuez Canal to the Mediterranean, then viaHaifa,Istanbul andAthens to the Upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub ofTrieste with its international free port and its rail connections toCentral Europe and theNorth Sea.
TheChina–Pakistan Economic Corridor is an extension of the proposed Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road coincides with the theory of China'sString of Pearls strategy.
The Maritime Silk Road initiative was first proposed byChinese leaderXi Jinping during a speech to theIndonesian Parliament in October 2013.[5]
In November 2014, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced plans to create aUSD $40 billion development fund, which would help finance China's plans to develop the New Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. China has accelerated its drive to draw Africa into the MSR with the speedy construction of a modern standard-gauge rail link between Nairobi and Mombasa.[6]
In March 2015, theNational Development and Reform Commission of China publicly released a document titledVision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road,[7] which discusses the principles and framework which form the foundation of the initiative.
Although the routes encompassed in the MSR will be copious if the initiative comes to fruition, to date there has not been ample official information released concerning specific ports.
Between 2015 and 2022, China has leased ownership over the following ports:[8]
In the 2018Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index Report,[9] the China Economic Information Service cites the following as major routes for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road:
Qinzhou – Yangpu – Zhanjiang – Gaolan Port – Yantian – Nansha – Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) – Singapore – Yangon (Myanmar) – Palawan (Philippines) – Singapore – Qinzhou.
Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Manila (South) – Manila (North) – Qingdao.
Newport – Dalian – Qingdao – Shanghai – Xiamen – Hong Kong – Singapore – Klang Port (Malaysia) – Penang (Malaysia) – Singapore – Hong Kong – Xingang.
Shanghai – Newport – Dalian – Qingdao – Ningbo – Nansha – Jakarta (Indonesia) – Klang Port (Malaysia) – Singapore – Laem Chabang Port (Thailand) – Hong Kong – Shanghai.
Ningbo – Shanghai – Shekou – Sihanoukville (Cambodia) – Bangkok – Leam Chabang (Thailand) – Ningbo.
Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Singapore – Klang Port (Malaysia) – Karachi (Pakistan) – Mundra (India) – Colombo (Sri Lanka) – Singapore – Qingdao.
Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Port Klang (Malaysia) – Kolkata (India) – Pipavav (India) – Colombo (Sri Lanka) – Port Klang – Singapore – Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) – Hong Kong – Shanghai.
Shanghai – Ningbo – Kaohsiung – Xiamen – Shekou – Port Klang (Malaysia) – Alishan Port (UAE) – Umm Qasr (Iraq) – Port Klang – Kaohsiung – Shanghai.
Shanghai – Ningbo – Xiamen – Chiwan – Singapore – Djibouti (East Africa) – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) – Sudan (Sudan) – Djibouti – Port Klang – Shanghai.
The MSR route to Europe will begin in China, pass through theMalacca Strait, followRed Sea through theSuez Canal to theMediterranean Sea, and visit ports in Greece, Italy, France, and Spain before returning to China. The Maritime Silk Road has also an important role in the connection betweenEast Africa and theMediterranean region through the Suez Canal. Of particular interest to China is the port of Piraeus in Athens, Greece, whichChinese PremierLi Keqiang stated "...can become China's gateway to Europe. It is the pearl of the Mediterranean. " China is investing heavily in Athens in the port and infrastructure.[10][11]
The Chinese Silk Road Initiative then led Europe to consider adapting the infrastructure to changing conditions. In recent years there have been major investments from Italy, the EU, Germany and Hungary to developTrieste with its rail connections toCentral andEastern Europe as a central European hub of the Maritime Silk Road. This also applies to the partial relocation of the flow of goods from the northern ports to the Mediterranean.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
There are extensive intra-European infrastructure projects in place to adapt trade flows to current needs. This applies, for example, to the expansion of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, the Brenner Base Tunnel and the connections on the Adriatic-Baltic and Adriatic-North Sea axes. With regard to costs and environmental protection, in contrast to longerEast Asian traffic via northwest Europe, the sea route through theSuez Canal to the Adriatic bridgehead of Trieste with its free trade zone shortens the transport of goods to Central and Eastern Europe by at least four days.[18][19]
Experimental attempts are also being made to organize the movement of goods from China to Europe via theNortheast Passage through the polar sea. There is already resistance from environmental protection organizations who fear significant interference in the sensitive ecosystems in the north.[20]
One of the most important ports in the Mediterranean isValencia, Spain. The port, in which many Chinese companies have settled, is to be provided with a free trade zone.[21]
Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Kaohsiung – Hong Kong – Yantian – Singapore – Piraeus (Greece) – Trieste (Italy) – La Spezia (Italy) – Genoa (Italy) – Fos-sur-Mer (France) – Valencia (Spain) – Piraeus (Greece) – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) – Colombo (Sri Lanka) – Singapore – Hong Kong
There exist a number of unresolvedterritorial disputes in the South China Sea between China andASEAN countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.[8] Potential routes proposed for the MSR could contribute to increasing tensions over certain areas. However, some academics propose that the MSR initiative will provide a means for China to resolve these sovereignty-related conflicts by providing an opportunity for mutual gain.[22]
It has been suggested that the future of the MSR will be largely dictated by the economic conditions of the participating countries.[23] The possibility exists that China may have to make financial contributions to other MSR countries who are experiencing poor economic conditions. China will need to ensure that any loans allocated to these countries are spent appropriately.[24]
Coordination on the national and subnational levels may be challenging for China. It has been stated that China's subnational actors – such asmultinational corporations,provinces, cities, and towns – have a tendency to strongly prioritize their own interests above those of the nation and participate in government initiatives primarily to satisfy their own objectives. This could lead to inappropriate spending on projects outside the scope of China's national interests.[25]
Gaining political approval from countries with different political systems could prove problematic for China. Countries may be wary about joining the MSR initiative due to geopolitical and security factors.[26]
Concerns have been put forth regarding whether China will be able to receive India's cooperation and participating in bringing the initiative to fruition.[27][28][23] India represents a strong economic force and may likely prefer to develop the Indian Ocean region's infrastructure itself rather than allow China to have any control over the region.[27] While Chinese investment in India's underdeveloped maritime infrastructure could benefit India's economy greatly, India remains wary to accept such investment as the possibility exists that China is primarily attempting to expand its own territorial and economic interests.[29] India has also expressed circumspection in participating in a similar initiative, the Bangladesh – China – India – Myanmar economic corridor.[23]
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