3,722
Views
20
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Silk road diplomacy: Geopolitics and histories of connectivity

ORCID Icon
Pages 898-912 | Received 09 Jan 2020, Accepted 02 May 2020, Published online: 12 Jun 2020
 

ABSTRACT

The Silk Road has become one of the key geocultural and geostrategic concepts of the twenty-first century. Identified by two routes – maritime and overland, the Silk Road stretches across the Indian Ocean and Eurasian landmass; regions that will be of paramount importance in an increasingly multi-polar world. Through Belt and Road, China proclaims to be ‘reviving’ the Silk Road for the twenty-first century; ambitions that are creating forms of diplomacy across multiple sectors and countries.

To contextualise such developments, this paper examines the Silk Road’s historical formation as an arena of diplomacy and international cooperation. It argues that this stylised, romanticised depiction of pre-modern globalisation came to be associated with peace and harmony, cosmopolitanism and inter-cultural dialogue after World War II. Within this, however, Silk Road diplomacy has served as a vehicle for nationalist and geopolitical ambitions. The paper argues such entanglements underpin China's Belt and Road Initiative today.

Disclosure statement

I confirm that I do not have any relationships with individuals or organisations that pose a conflict of interest in relation to the subject matter nor do I stand to gain any financial benefits from the publications of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [FT170100084].

Notes on contributors

Tim Winter

Tim Winter is a Professorial Australian Research Council Future Fellow, School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia. His current work examines the cultural aspects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Silk Roads geocultural developments and politics. See: silkroadfutures.net

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 322.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.