Pseudo Special Economic Zones along the Silk Road (in French)

Thierry Pairault posted on 1 August 2018 a working paper titled "De pseudo-ZES le long des nouvelles routes de la soie: les zones de cooperation economique et commerciale a l'etranger."

A number of studies have concluded that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) inspired by China are the solution to Africa's development. This study asks if the model of Overseas Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones (OETCZ) that China proposes for countries along the Silk Road corresponds well with existing SEZs. The paper raises doubts.

Regular News on China's One Belt, One Road Initiative

The Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations publishes a weekly compilation of information about China's "One Belt, One Road" also known as the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road initiative.  You can sign up for the weekly collection of stories.

One recent posting included The Diplomat's 24 September 2015 "China's 'Silk Road' Initiative Is at Risk of Failure" by Moritz Rudolf, research associate at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.    

Africa East-Asian Affairs

The Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University just published the June 2015 (issues 1 and 2) African East-Asian Affairs and China Monitor.  It contains the following contributions:

--The 'Fong Kong' Phenomenon in Botswana: A Perspective on Globalization from Below by Zi Yanyin
--From Humanitarianism to Trade Promotion: The Changing Emphasis of Japanese Development Co-operation to Africa by Shoko Yamada
--AU-China Peace and Security Co-operation: RECs, CSOs, and Think Tanks for the Win by Lina Benabdallah
--African Soft Power in China by Adams Bodomo
--The Effectiveness of Confucius Institutes as a Tool of China's Soft Power in South Africa by Maddalena Procopio
--Enduring Silk Ties by Mandira Bagswandeen
--China's Silk Road Economic Belt: African Perspectives and Implications by Bob Wekesa
--African Agency in the Context of China-Africa Relations by Lucy Corkin

One Belt, One Road: China's Great Leap Outward

The European Council on Foreign Relations published on 10 June 2015 a series of analyses titled "One Belt, One Road: China's Great Leap Outward."  There are contributions by Antoine Bondaz, a PhD candidate at Sciences Po, David Cohen, former editor of the China Brief, Francois Godement, researcher at the Asia Centre, Agatha Kratz, editor of China Analysis, and Raffaello Pantucci, Royal United Services Institute.

China's One Belt, One Road initiative is a combination of a land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and a sea-based 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.  The authors, drawing on Chinese language sources, identify a series of challenges for Beijing's ambitious new Silk Roads.  Based on these analyses, it is  not at all clear where Africa fits into this initiative, including the Maritime Silk Road.  

Interview with Chinese Specialist on China-Africa

The Diplomat carried on 17 March 2015 an interview with Tang Xiaoyang, a specialist on China-Africa relations, resident scholar at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, and associate professor at Tsinghua University.  He is the author of a Chinese-language book China-Africa Economic Diplomacy and What It Reveals about the Global Supply Chain. 

China's Silk Road to Where?

The Diplomat published on 17 February 2015 an analysis titled "China's 'One Belt, One Road' To Where?" by Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, a member of the Philippine Association for China Studies.

Acknowledging that details are still sketchy, the author argues that the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road have strategic, political, and security implications that participating countries should consider.  He urged China to address the persistent notion that the Silk Road is too China-centric and that other participating states will reap only marginal benefits. 

China's New Silk Road

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) published on 12 February 2015 an excellent commentary titled "China's New Silk Road" by Nadege Rolland, senior project director for political and security affairs at NBR. 

The author argues that the Silk Road economic belt aims to integrate China's neighbors more closely with the Chinese economy, enmeshing them in a network of trade ties, transportation links, and multilateral institutions that will have China at their center, enhancing Beijing's influence over the weaker, poorer nations that surround it. 

Africa and China's Maritime Silk Road

The Diplomat published on 29 January 2015 an article titled "China's 'Maritime Silk Road': Don't Forget Africa" by Shannon Tiezzi. While China's Silk Road project is focused primarily on Asia, the article notes there is an important African component. 

China-Egypt Relations

The Diplomat published on 24 December 2014 an article titled "China's Egypt Opportunity" by Shannon Tiezzi.  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Beijing in December 2014 when the two countries upgraded their relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership."  China is increasing its economic ties with Egypt at a time when US-Egyptian relations continue to be strained. 

China-Morocco Relations

Relatively little has been written about China-Morocco relations.  A scheduled visit to China by Moroccan King Mohammed VI in late November, postponed for health reasons, resulted in some useful reporting on this subject from the Chinese perspective.  Global Times published on 30 November 2014 an article titled "China, Morocco Discuss Travel Ties, Investments to African Country" by Zhang Yiqian. 

China Creating Transport Node Centered on Suez Canal

The Jamestown Foundation's China Brief published on 10 October 2014 an article titled "PRC China's Silk Road Strategy: A Foothold in the Suez, but Looking to Israel" by Emma Scott, Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University. 

The article analyzes China's strategy of developing linking transportation nodes between maritime port terminals and inland rail networks throughout Eurasia and across the Middle East and North Africa.