Analysis of China’s One Belt One Road and Southeast Asia FTA 2.0?

Abstract

The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) is a Chinese developmental strategy aimed to expand trade and investment. Through the BRI, China seeks to promote soft power and increase its political bargaining power and strengthen connections with the world through benign interactions with other states. To strengthen the role of China on the world stage, Beijing has sought cooperation with countries along the BRI through the construction of transnational transport systems and commercial integration, thereby establishing stable trade and communication routes. In addition to economic cooperation in the Eurasia continent, China seeks to deepen cooperation with the ASEAN and spearhead the development of the ASEAN free-trade area 2.0. New opportunities for cooperation and challenges between China and Southeast Asia under the BRI are evident.

Keywords:  One Belt One Road, Silk Road, Southeast Asia, Thailand