Understanding Sub-State’s Agency in Regionalism: The Case of Yunnan in Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Initiative

Abstract

Regionalism constitutes an essential unit to understanding the nature and evolution of multi-actor-dominated contemporary international relations. The ‘subnational turn’ in the regional interactions recognizes the rising role of sub-state actors such as provinces in the ‘construction’ and ‘performance’ of the ‘regionness’ to access the developmental benefits of regional and globalized capital. This paper further enriches this insight by focusing on the interaction of two components, that is, the sub-regionalism and the agency of sub-state units. It focuses on China’s Yunnan province outreach in the context of Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar (BCIM) regionalization to critically reflect on the ‘transitioning’ agency of sub-state actors from imagining to implementing regionalism. Utilizing the analytical frameworks within paradiplomacy literature, the article emphasizes that sub-governments are substantive forces, ushering dynamic economic, political, and cultural international interactions. But, simultaneously, their power to invent and (re)define international standing is linked to larger scales of center and national. The sub-national lens on BCIM magnifies the opportunities and limitations at Yunnan’s disposal and identifies its agency as an ‘initiator’ and a ‘channel’ in the BCIM practice.