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Belt and Road Initiative, image via Wikimedia Commons
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 900, July 22, 2018
SUMMARY: The Mediterranean, one of the most important highways of maritime commerce in the world, is the hub of maritime traffic at the western end of the Belt and Road Initiative in China. Beijing's strategic maritime activities in the Mediterranean consist mainly of the construction and operation of ports and railways to open new trade links between China and the Eurasia-Africa zone. However, the implementation of a Chinese maritime silk route via the Mediterranean can only succeed if there is a way to bridge the gap between economic interests and the ability to protect these interests.
: The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative (19459014) to connect China and Europe by land routes and maritime. This initiative – Beijing's most ambitious integration project to date – is at the heart of China's foreign policy. The MSRI is designed to build shipping lanes with faster connectivity to increase trade along the Silk Road and Maritime Road linking Asia to Europe and Africa.
In the strategic framework of MSRI, China buys development. and the operational rights of a chain of ports that extends from southern regions of Asia to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and even South America. According to the Financial Times China spent billions to expand its port network to secure the sea lanes and establish itself as a maritime power.
The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most important maritime highways of international trade routes around the globe. It is a focal point because it represents the western end of the IRB. Given the strategic position of the Mediterranean, China has strengthened its presence in the region by acquiring, building, modernizing, developing and operating the most important Mediterranean ports and terminals of Greece, Egypt, Algeria , from Turkey and Israel. Beijing wants to capitalize on the geographical proximity of the Mediterranean to become a major distribution center of Chinese products to the EU, its largest trading partner.
Increasing economic ties between China and Europe give the Mediterranean region the opportunity to find its place. the forefront of international trade. The new Suez Cbad, the main transport route between Asia and Europe, has doubled in terms of capacity and traffic flows between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. It now allows the pbadage of larger vessels, reducing transit times between Asia and Europe and improving the competitiveness and visibility of Mediterranean ports.
However, access to the European market via the Mediterranean ports The energy and other raw materials of the Middle East and Africa depend on the security and political stability of the region Mediterranean. Maintaining a secure geostrategic environment and securing the geopolitical interface of the region are sine qua non conditions for the successful construction and realization of the MSRI.
China is the largest trading nation in the world. Three Chinese shipping companies are among the world's ten largest container shipping companies, responsible for about 10% of world trade. Beijing is the main destination and departure point for international shipping routes.
Chinese ports are among the busiest in the world. Eight of the world's ten busiest container ports are in the country, with Shanghai's busiest port on the planet. China is the third largest ship-owning nation and the largest shipbuilding nation, with approximately 30 million compensated gross tones (CGTs). Chinese companies are also active in building and managing ports around the world. Through the construction and management of ports and international maritime badets along the Silk Road, as well as the construction of a faster connection via sea routes and an increase in trade , Beijing plans to extend the reach of China as a maritime power. in the Mediterranean Sea consists mainly of the construction and operation of ports or railways. These investments should be considered in the context of the country's broader infrastructure activities within the framework of the IRB. Investments in shipping routes and railways complement each other as they jointly open up new trade relations between China and the Eurasia-Africa zone. China has slowly sought to expand its presence in the Mediterranean by investing in international logistics distribution centers and infrastructure projects that have strengthened its regional position.
For example, Chinese investments in the port of Piraeus, the ports of Ashdod and Haifa, Port Said and the Suez Cbad corridor project goes hand in hand with the One Belt, One Road initiative , which marks the pbadage from the maritime silk road to the land route to Europe. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road should be considered as a driving force of its economic and strategic interests in the Mediterranean, as well as a platform from which to accelerate and increase its presence and its Regional influence
is gradually becoming more economically, diplomatically and geostrategically influential in the Mediterranean. Huge investments and mutually beneficial trade relations between China and the Mediterranean countries increase Beijing's share in regional affairs while exposing it to significant threats. Political instability and religious extremism in several countries in the wider Mediterranean region raises the question of whether Beijing would be ready to badume a leadership role, with all the responsibilities that would entail.
The Chinese Maritime Silk Road without addressing the gap between economic interests and the ability to protect these interests. Securing investments in an area of extreme geopolitical instability will be a difficult test for Beijing's foreign policy in the coming years. China does not have an overall strategy for the affairs of the Mediterranean region; he prefers to deal bilaterally with each country.
China 's policy towards the region is still dominated by the economic factor, especially trade and investment. Beijing will have to give up strictly respecting its principle of non-interference if it wants to take advantage of the Mediterranean region. For the moment, China's behavior in the region remains cautious: it remains unobtrusive and does not seek to significantly alter existing dynamics. Beijing continues to prefer to act wisely and avoid participating in clashes in the region.
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Dr. Mordechai Chaziza is a senior lecturer in politics and governance at Ashkelon Academic College Israel, specializing in Chinese foreign and strategic relations. He can be reached at [email protected]
The BESA Center Perspectives Papers are published thanks to the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler family
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