Infrastructure diplomacy and strategic signalling within the Three Seas Initiative

ABSTRACT

Different manifestations of infrastructure diplomacy have been used as a prime example of how major powers dissatisfied with their position in the international system have been using economic tools to pursue their national objectives. On the other hand, the status quo powers have attempted to counter these moves by implementing their own versions of infrastructure diplomacy. This article explores the said dynamics within the context of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI). Merging insights from international relations, international economics and strategic project management, this article interrogates how the heightened geopolitical competition spills over to regional economies through infrastructure diplomacy and major infrastructure projects and whether and how policymakers deploy economic tools in major infrastructure projects to promote geopolitical interests within the TSI. Our findings imply that while informal state-to-state signalling is a predecessor to corporate-to-corporate signalling, formal state-to-state signals also support corporate-to-corporate actions.

KEYWORDS:

• Three Seas Initiative
• infrastructure diplomacy
• signalling
• European Union
• United States
• Russia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. For details, see: European Commission, ‘5 G for Europe: An Action Plan’, Brussels, 14 September 2016. Retrieved from: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/5g-action-plan; https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=17131.

2. For details, see: Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union, ‘Li Keqiang Attends the 5th China-CEEC Summit’, 6 November 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cebe/eng/mhs/t1413715.htm.

3. For details, see: Slovenia Times, ‘Slovenia calls for cooperation in dealing with Covid fallout at 17 + 1 summit’, 10 February 2021. Retrieved from: https://sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-calls-for-cooperation-in-dealing-with-covid-fallout-at-171-summit/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gorana Grgić

Gorana Grgić is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Her research interests include transatlantic relations, US alliances, conflict resolution and democratisation.

Đuro Kolar

ĐuroKolar is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) and the founder and partner at Boom Project Partners. His research interests include the strategic management of large infrastructure projects and problem-based learning with advanced technology.

Maja Bašić

MajaBašić is a Lecturer at University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of International Economics. Her research focuses on internationalisation from firm and national perspective, innovation and economic development.