Geoeconomics in Motion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative as a Vector of Political Alignment

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the investments it has made into several key countries. The countries that will be used as a case study for this research paper are Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries were selected as key pieces to China’s Belt and Road Initiative’s success. This research paper aims to show how connected China is to these countries' economies and the massive investments China has made. Ultimately, the main focus is on how China uses the economy's dependence and leverages the massive investment as political leverage. The research surrounding this primarily claims that China hasn’t been successful in gaining political leverage through investments from the Belt and Road Initiative. Although this is true in some instances, most of the research has been on European countries. This paper will show that certain qualities, such as economic dependency and relationships with the United States, determine if China can gain political leverage. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all meet specific criteria for China to gain political leverage. To see if political leverage is achieved in these countries, UN voting data will be analyzed between the countries and China. This will encompass years before and after the investment from China. Then, all the data will be taken and compiled into a graph showing whether or not UN voting alignment increases after the investment. This will indicate whether or not China has gained political influence, as the more aligned the country is with China on political issues, the more influence they have. In addition to this, there will be a qualitative study of each of the countries, as UN voting alone can’t give the full influence China has.