China Perspective Issues
Frédéric Lasserre
The Snow Dragon: China’s Strategies in the Arctic
ABSTRACT: In recent years, several analyses and news media articles have predicted a resurgence of tensions in the Arctic over access to maritime space. Among the contenders involved in this potential struggle is China, whose ambitions in the region are suspected to hold a destabilising potential. Yet, as Beijing is developing its policy towards the region, it remains unclear whether it will contest the claims over maritime access of countries bordering the Arctic and forcibly take over parts of the region for resource extraction purposes.
The Evolution of Sino-Russian Relations as Seen from Moscow: The Limits of Strategic Rapprochement
ABSTRACT: In the past few years, there has been a significant economic and political rapprochement between China and Russia, marked by the announcement of numerous trade agreements and investments in transport infrastructure and the exploitation of Russian natural resources. This cooperation seems to have intensified since the 2014 Ukrainian crisis. Some European and American media see it as a sign that China and Russia are developing a form of strategic alliance that could harm Western interests. This article analyses the different forms of Sino-Russian rapprochement whilst highlighting the economic and political limits of this cooperation. KEYWORDS: China-Russia relations, Belt and Road Initiative, rapprochement, rivalry, trade, investment, strategic partnership.
The Emergence of Trans-Asian Rail Freight Traffic as Part of the Belt and Road Initiative: Development and Limits
ABSTRACT: Since 2011, freight transport rail links between China and Europe have been rapidly multiplying. Against all expectations, this commercial initiative, under the aegis of the Deutsche Bahn, has expanded significantly. The number of origin-destination pairs has increased, the number of trains has risen sharply, and both Chinese and European partners have far-reaching ambitions. The railways’ market share of trans-Asian freight is still low. However, rail link development projects have received a spectacular boost from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), resulting in the rapid expansion of volume, services offered, and the emergence of new rail infrastructure. Does this development, which needs to be examined more closely, represent a political tool for China? To what extent does the development of these rail links rely on a buoyant market? This article studies the development of rail services and infrastructure by means of a cross-analysis of a body of technical reports and publications by the transport sector’s professional press.