China’s New Silk Road Project And Its Global Infuluence

Since 1991, lots of projects have come to the fore in order to revive the Silk Road which, for centuries, has been an important trade and transportation network between the West and the East. Many attemtps of USA’s in former Soviet region, especially in the Central Asia, to eradicate the influence of Russia and China, have proven ineffective thanks to the pressure by Russia, which still has economic and political power over the countries in the region. As for 2013, New Silk Road Project, which was put forward by Xi Jinping, China’s President, via the motto “One Belt, One Road”, has been one of the most crucial foreign policy targets of Beijing’s since then. The Project, which is expected to be a new economic mediator between Asia and Europe, is a versatile strategy with its political, economic and cultural gains. By means of this Project, which can be said to be one of the cornerstones of versatile foreign policy that Beijing followed especially in 2000s, China aims at being a more effective power in areas where it previously wasn’t. In addition, this project supports the policies China has recently followed versus USA’s monopolar worldview. Especially after the september 11 attacks, as a result of USA’s tendency toward the areas that China view as “ life space”, China tried to increase the collaborations with the countries in the region by means of Shanghai Cooperation Operation and BRICS. From this point of view, New Silk Road Project is considered as a revolt against USA’s hegemony and its monopolar worldview. Nevertheless, there are some obstacles to wholly materialize this project which has two phases, one of which is the sea and the other is the land. Firstly, the countries on the zone, who think China’s economic and political influence will increase by means of this project, must be persuaded. And also, it is vital how the global powers, especially USA, will react to this project, which will make China an economic and politic power.

Keywords

China, USA, Russia, Turkey, New Silk Road Project, 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, One Road, One Be