World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues
Year : 2014, Volume : 18, Issue : 4
First page : ( 26) Last page : ( 39)
Print ISSN : 0971-8052. Online ISSN : 0974-0937.

Jointly Building the Maritime Silk Road

Saighal Vinod

Online published on 2 February, 2015.

Abstract

This paper, while examining the contested maritime spaces and geopolitical uncertainties that obtain along the proposed Maritime Silk Route, also suggests ways and means to ensure the success of the venture. However, it warns that some countries perceive the new route promoted by China as part of an expansionistic, mercantile and strategic policy, especially as a retort to the US's “Asia pivot”. In centuries past, China's seafaring ventures were not colonial in nature but rather aimed at building cultural and trade links. The new Silk Road Project likewise must be based on cooperation and trust between the nations of the region, particularly China and India, to prevent a new “Cold War” in the Pacific–Indian Ocean region.

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