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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 18 april 2018

Report: China's Silk Road plan serves Beijing security goals

By KELVIN CHAN ects in Bangladesh, Sri Lan-
AP Business Writer ka, Cambodia, Australia,
HONG KONG (AP) — A Oman, Malaysia, Bangla-
massive Chinese infrastruc- desh, Indonesia, Djibouti
ture program that Beijing and elsewhere in the Indo-
says is aimed at promoting Pacific region. It concluded
global trade and econom- that projects aren't driven
ic growth is actually intend- by "win-win" economic de-
ed to expand the country's velopment for the individu-
political influence and mili- al host countries, as Beijing
tary presence, according claims.
to a report issued Tuesday. "Rather, the investments
The report by the U.S.- appear to generate po-
based research group litical influence, stealth-
C4ADS questions China's ily expand China's military
portrayal of the trillion- presence and create an
dollar program, called the advantageous strategic
"Belt and Road Initiative," as environment in the region,"
strictly meant to promote it said.
economic development. China's Foreign Ministry re-
President Xi Jinping's sig- jected the findings, saying
nature foreign policy pro- in a statement that Belt
gram, it is working to re- and Road is "essentially an
inforce China's links to economic cooperation
Southeast Asia, Europe and initiative" promoting com-
Africa through networks of mon development through In this Nov. 13, 2016 file photo, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center left, and Army Chief
roads, ports, railways, pow- infrastructure. Gen. Raheel Sharif, fourth right, pray near Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong, center
er plants and other infra- "China is not playing a geo- after inaugurating a new international trade route during a ceremony at the Gwadar port which
structure projects. political game," it said. links to China's western region, west of Karachi, Pakistan.
C4ADS, a nonprofit re- While there's no official
search institute that spe- policy document linking The projects shared char- somewhat skeptical about itable Hambantota Port,
cializes in data analysis and Belt and Road to China's acteristics that, taken to- claims China was using port located along a busy In-
security, examined official national security interests, gether, pointed to China's projects to advance military dian Ocean shipping lane,
Chinese policy documents Chinese analysts have writ- security intent, the report goals, given the difficulty of along with land to develop
and unofficial reports by ten that developing the said. These include being in coordinating so many dif- a free-trade zone, to a Chi-
Chinese analysts to ana- program and pursuing Chi- strategic locations such as ferent investments, some of nese-controlled compa-
lyze the intentions of Bei- nese security are "intimately entrances to the contested which might involve "inde- ny, in a deal opposed by
jing's ambitious economic linked," the report said. The South China Sea, in an ap- pendent actors." neighboring residents and
development program, analysts don't represent of- parent effort by Beijing to However, he said it's clear monks.
which seeks to connect ficial thinking but the au- ease its worries about en- China's political influence "China appears to have
65 percent of the world's thors believe what they say ergy imports and potential would expand over coun- established financial lever-
population in more than 60 could influence decision- blockades. tries it connects with. age over Sri Lanka through
countries. makers promoting the Belt The port projects involve The new links will increase investment in alleged van-
Chinese officials say the and Road Initiative. dual civilian-military use, economic activity, which ity projects" worth billions
initiative, also known as a "Many of these observers Communist Party influence means "you're going to of dollars signed as Beijing
modern "Silk Road" harken- recognize that a network through the involvement of have economic influence courted the country's pre-
ing back to maritime and of maritime logistics hubs Chinese state-owned com- and we all know that eco- vious president, Mahinda
land-based trade routes throughout the Indo-Pacif- panies and control through nomic influence easily Rajapaksa, the report said.
of centuries past, is driven ic, including ports, has the equity stakes or long-term translates into political le- Debt levels for those proj-
by commercial consider- potential to change the re- leases and a lack of trans- verage and power," Cai ects prevented his suc-
ations. They have reject- gion's strategic landscape, parency and expected said. cessor from extricating the
ed assertions that it is also and several explicitly de- profitability, it said. One of the most controver- country from the deals and
meant to expand Beijing's scribe the role of infrastruc- Peter Cai, a fellow at Aus- sial projects is in Sri Lanka, pivoting Sri Lanka away
global influence. ture investment in Chinese tralia's Lowy Institute think where the government from China's influence, it
The report analyzed 15 grand strategy," the report tank who has studied Belt signed a 99-year lease said.
Chinese-funded port proj- said. and Road, said he was agreement for the unprof- q