Abstract
‘The Palgrave Handbook of Globalization with Chinese Characteristics: The Case of the Belt and Road Initiative’ is a compendium of innovative interpretations of globalization from a broad and critical perspective. Readers should anticipate that the notion of globalization discussed in this book contains Chinese characteristics. With this forgone conclusion, the editors of this book Paulo Afonso B. Duarate, Franscesco Jose B.S. Leandro and Enrique Martinez present their heavyweight contribution to the literature covering China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. It is by no means to describe ‘BRI’ as the limelight of the recent IR scholarship as there have been an ample of edited volumes or monographs published covering its impacts and discontents for the past few years. So what does this work add to the existing literature? First and foremost, this is a work that attempts to distinguish globalization from the popular narrative based on its West-centric conceptualization, and the editors show a fervent interest in placing BRI parallel to China’s vis-à-vis Globalization as a mechanism of forging the Chinese concept of tianxia (everything under the heaven). In doing this arduous task of unveiling globalization with Chinese characteristics, the editors divide the mammoth work of nearly 800 pages into three parts wherein 47 chapters have been written by 86 contributors.
Despite its unusual vastness, which is genuinely a discouraging factor for the general audience, this work raises some pertinent issues relating to BRI as the Chinese avatar of globalization. The chapters in the first part address more general issues such as the genesis of BRI from a historical point of view to the growth of the Chinese notion of global governance. While Chapter 2 written by Priscilla Roberts deals with the economic history of China since 1949, Andre Carrai unveils how the Chinese concept of global governance emerged reflecting profound transformations within its society. C.M. Costa has taken positive stances in his chapter on how Chinese foreign policy can generate substitutes for the traditional international order without denying the previous paradigms. It is a factor beyond any dispute that BRI is a state-initiated project, which is an anathema to the neoliberal version of globalization. Thus, all the chapters in the first part are more or less devoted to emphasizing China’s state prominence in BRI.
The second part is more akin to the core objectives of the book as it broadly discusses the possibility of setting the path for the Chinese version of globalization through BRI. On one side, this book has accomplished its task of compiling a set of diverse scholarly opinions discussing globalization with Chinese characteristics through the prism of BRI, but, on the other side, this work contains certain subjective analyses which are tantamount to a narrative presenting BRI as an adverse effort for the Western liberal order. For instance, the chapter written by A.I. Xavier argues how the Eurasian region becomes a geopolitical nexus under the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and China’s Belt and Road. The contention built up by Xavier in his chapter is a skeptical one, which tends to show how the Sino-Russo partnership can go beyond mere trade expectations as it can get galvanized based on reciprocal synergy in competing for global leadership.
The third part of the work examines the chances that can emerge from BRI as a cross-border initiative by exploring how China influences the regional political and economic systems. The chapter written by Flavius Caba Maria on China’s effort in attaining its role in the Middle East analyses the gravity of China’s energy thirst and how the Middle East moves to Beijing as a result of the dwindling presence of the US in the region. It should be noted that the editors have taken a balanced approach by allowing both admirers and vehement critics to contribute to this compendium, which creates an equilibrium of ideas. The chapter written by Mohommad Eslami, Nasim Sadat Mosavi and Muhammed Cam stand in a stark contrast to the majority of the contributors with the sheer optimism displayed by the authors in their chapter regarding Sino-Iranian artificial intelligence cooperation as a benign effort that would lead to challenge the US hegemony.
Notwithstanding the overarching objectives that the editors prompt to explore, this work carries several pitfalls, which have marred the quality of the edited volume. First, editors fail to recognize what factors have compelled the African countries to choose China as a trusted investment partner, which has eventually created a new wave of neo-colonialism under the guise of BRI. The chapters on the African spectrum do not provide a palpable explanation of China’s entry into a vulnerable geopolitical region. Also, another significant shortcoming is that this work gives an iota of facts discussing a possible maritime tension emerging from the maritime silk route under Chinese BRI. The chapter focusing on Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines has not rendered timely insights on how the maritime silk route can escalate tensions in the Indian Ocean Region. On the contrary, the chapter provides a sanguine hope to the reader by concluding ‘The twenty-first century maritime silk route can restore the glory of Asia if it’s truly collaborative’ (p. 379).
All in all, this edited work deserves its due admiration as a novel contribution based on multidimensional and transversal approach to distinct complementary areas of study.
