“One Belt One Road: Dimensions, Detours, Fissures and Fault Lines” is the title of an article published by DKI APCSS Professor Dr. Mohan Malik in The American Interest (online and print editions).

Excerpt:
“China’s emergence as the fulcrum of the world economy is supposed to restore its traditional supremacy, and make countries seeking prosperity and security gravitate toward the Middle Kingdom as they did in the past. China is thus building an empire of ‘exclusive economic enclaves’ (EEEs) run by Chinese conglomerates through a network of ‘geo-economic alliances’ to usher in the age of Pax Sinica. Beijing’s growing might has strengthened the hold of traditional notions of hegemony, cultural supremacy, and tributary relationships whereby patronage, protection and trading privileges are dispensed to countries in return for their obeisance … The modus operandi of Chinese state-owned enterprises in Angola, Kenya, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Kyrgyzstan, and Greece—all weighed down with heavy indebtedness due to high interest rates of 4 percent to 8 percent on Chinese loans—holds lessons for others to avoid falling into Chinese debt traps that usually end in strategic entrapment.”

For the full article, go to https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/02/19/dimensions-detours-fissures-fault-lines/

A PDF version is also attached as TAI is a subscription-based journal.

Dr. Malik is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security and his area of expertise is China, Geopolitics and Weapons Proliferation.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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