The Silk Road Economic Belt

This report examines the wider security dynamics related to the Belt, at a geopolitical as well as intrastate level – and provides a number of cooperation avenues for the EU and China. The report is based on a one-year desk study as five regional workshops conducted over the course of 2016. It consists of three parts. First, it describes what the Belt is, what has driven China to initiate it, and how it relates to China’s security interests. It then examines security implications of and security risks to the Belt in two important regions of Central and South Asia. Finally, the report assesses how the Belt fits into EU interests, and provides recommendations for EU-China cooperation, to maximize positive spillovers of the Belt and to mitigate common security concerns. This project and its final report fill a gap in the discourse on the more localized and regional political implications of the Belt,for all stakeholders.

Bringing together viewpoints from experts, academics, and policymakers across Eurasia, the report provides a comprehensive view how China’s initiative may affect the strategic landscape, and how the EU policymakers should best engage with it.