Adrian Rey Penetrante

AS230

Belt and Road Initiative

The documentary prepared by Singapore-based Channel News Asia

gives a distinct perspective on the purpose and impacts which China’s Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought to regional geopolitics. While the
economic initiative does indeed forward the Communist Party of China’s
(CPC) ambition of global dominance, the initiative in its essence supports the
notion of greater integration among members of the international community.

However, what was striking for me with regards to the BRI as

presented by the CNA was Beijing’s efforts to spread Chinese culture
worldwide in what was described to be a “charm” initiative to improve China’s
image in the international arena. The mixing of other cultures with that of
Chinese culture will not only be apparent with its neighbors but will also be
evident in other areas of the world which the BRI encompasses.

China understands that controlling the minds of the people through

cultural dissemination is an important political tool, as invasion through
military force is not tangible given the rules-based international order--and
given the Russia-Ukraine experience. Instead, the BRI aims to influence the
cultural identity and economic sector of member countries for China to be able
to manipulate internal affairs. A very specific example would be Sri Lanka’s
economic fallout and China’s takeover of the Hambantota Port which carries
heavy implications for the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Meanwhile, I thought it important to check the veracity and integrity of

CNA as a media outlet. Based on think tank Media Bias, CNA’s factual
reporting ranks HIGH, implying that the media outlet is accurate in collating
and collecting factual evidence. However, it was also noted that the CNA may
be inclined to
anti-China narratives--in politically correct terms labelled as “pro-Asia”
sentiment.
 Regardless, China’s expansion through the BRI emphasizes its
growing ambition to become the next global leader. More on economic
control, the CNA’s presentation of the BRI’s impact to Mongolia and
Uzbekistan was somewhat alarming if not already known. The Debt-Trap
Diplomacy that comes with the BRI is a major concern which must be
discussed and tackled openly by the international community. However, China
remains abrasive in terms of transparency on the BRI, creating friction with
powerful democratic countries.

For a better understanding on how the BRI works, we could refer to the
agreements struck between China and the Philippines in the Kaliwa Dam and
the Chico River Pump Irrigation project which will supposedly loan US$255M
and US$90M from Beijing. The agreement included questionable clauses that
was rejected after recommendations as the document gave China power over
the settlement of disputes not limited to the two projects.

Particularly, under the Chico River Project, the China International

Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CEITAC) will be given authority
to settle disputes between the Philippines and China. The incident in 2018
highlights how China’s utilizes its BRI in gaining a foothold in the internal
affairs of a country. The open-ended nature of the “sisterhood” agreements of
mentioned projects directly undermines the national security of the
Philippines, as it will allow China higher authority to oversee the arbitration of
cases in, for example, the West Philippine Sea if we pursue maritime research
or economic ventures with China in the disputed waterway.

The CNA’s objective presentation of the one-sided nature of the BRI is

not only limited to the included countries such as Mongolia and Uzbekistan in
the documentary series. Besides the political and economic ramifications, the
environmental and cultural implications are massive, given China’s apparent
move to “sinicize” various cultures. One profound example would be the
Xinjiang humanitarian issue and how China is “rehabilitating” the Uyghur
communities in the region.
 The CNA was also correct in emphasizing China and Russia’s “special
relationship” as the two superpowers’ alliance brings heavy implications to the
stability of the region. To note, China and Russia on 16 September signed a
document on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit
in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, penning a “partnership without limits” rhetoric that
may translate to security and military guarantees. The memorandum is
significant as Russia continues its war to annex pertinent portions of Ukraine.

There are no signs that China will relent from its strategic objectives. In
the contrary, it has only heightened in the three years (or four for the CNBC
documentary) since the CNA’s documentary was released. The rhetoric of
forming alliances with “like-minded” countries will persist, so long as the
seated regime in authoritarian government systems such as that of China,
Russia, Iran, and North Korea exist. The issues being tackled particularly with
regards to the BRI all boils down to the primordial assumption of man being a
political animal. So long as regimes exploit culture and other social tools as a
form a division amongst peoples of the world, the international community will
remain fragmented into certain political schema.