Strategic responses of regional economic organizations to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: the cases of ASEAN, EAEU, and EU

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to undertake a systematic comparative analysis of how regional economic organizations (REOs) in the wider Eurasian region have strategically responded to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The theoretical framework is based on the external actorness literature, comparative regionalism, and foreign policy analysis. The analysis links the distinctive features of the REOs to the shape and impact of their strategic responses to the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, it shows the extent to which REOs play a functional role vis-à-vis their member states and large firms in a macro-regional strategic context.

KEYWORDS:

• ASEAN
• Belt and Road Initiative
• China
• Eurasian economic union
• European Union
• strategy

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. For examples see Aoyama (2016) and Wei (2019).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Philippe De Lombaerde

Philippe De Lombaerde (PhD, RWTH) is currently director at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) (Bruges, Belgium), and Associate Professor of International Economics at Neoma Business School (Rouen, France). Previously he worked as an Associate Professor of International Economics at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogota), lecturer and researcher at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), and as a researcher at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) (Bangkok, Thailand), among other appointments. He is co-editor of The Political Economy of New Regionalisms in the Pacific Rim (Routledge, London-New York, 2019), with J. Briceño Ruiz. See also https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philippe_De_Lombaerde

Kairat Moldashev

Kairat Moldashev (PhD Pol. Econ., University Malaya) is Associate Professor and Vice-Rector for Research at Suleyman Demirel University in Almaty (Kazakhstan). His research interests include comparative regionalism (with focus on Central Eurasia, ASEAN, and EU), nation-building, identity politics, and higher education policy. He has published articles on comparative regionalism and other research areas in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of International Relations and Development, Studies in Higher Education and co-authored book chapters in Palgrave and Routledge edited volumes. He is also involved in research-capacity-building projects and conducts trainings on research methodology for young scholars and PhD students.

Ikboljon Qoraboyev

Ikboljon Qoraboyev (PhD, University of Toulouse) is Associate Professor of International Relations at International School of Economics of M. Narikbayev KAZGUU University in Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan). He is also an Associate Research Fellow of UNU-CRIS (Belgium). His research interests span comparative regionalism studies, international relations, and international law with particular focus on Eurasia and Central Asia. His recent publications cover topics such as regionalization in Central Asia; EU-China relations within the context of Belt and Road Initiative; and global governance.

Servaas Taghon

Servaas Taghon works as a teaching assistant and PhD-researcher at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES), Ghent University (Belgium). His research revolves around topics such as critical geopolitics, post-Soviet affairs, EU-Russia relations and EU foreign policy.