The concept of a '21st-Century Maritime Silk Road' refers to the proposed modern-time version of the ancient Maritime Silk Road that connected China with the rest of Asia, and even parts of eastern Africa. It is a strategic initiative designed to increase investments in and foster collaboration among all countries along the ancient Silk Road. This volume, 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative: Aims and Objectives, Implementation Strategies and Policy Recommendations, presents the latest research findings on the directions and implementation methods related to the initiative, and contributors offer policy suggestions, include promoting effective macroeconomic policies, extending microeconomic cooperation schemes, removing trade barriers and facilitating financial integration, building infrastructures that can connect all subregions in Asia, and increasing people-to-people exchanges and industrial cooperation.

This book provides deep insight into the emergent Chinese innovation economy, as we head towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It describes, discusses and analyzes the period from China’s opening up to foreign investment in the 1980s until the New Silk Road project, from 2013 onwards. The developments are assessed from a systemic thinking and evolutionary economic standpoint. The book presents the latest research findings on the direction and achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the results both for China, the countries along the new Silk Road, as well as for Europe and the United States are brought to light. The author asserts that the phenomenon of the New Silk Road as an innovation generator can be understood and explained through the effects of various social mechanisms. He labels these five social mechanisms as: the locomotive force; the explosive force of the butterfly effect; the force of co-creation; the force of expectation; and the force of competence. The book presents 20 cases to substantiate the descriptions, analysis, theoretical reflections and the practical utility of the questions examined in each chapter. It utilizes economic history research methods, scenario thinking, futures research and conceptual generalization to offer different views on the research problem under investigation. Further, the book offers policy suggestions, which include promoting effective macroeconomic policies, and extending microeconomic cooperation schemes, related to the innovation economy. The book will appeal to academics, researchers and graduate students concerned with Chinese economic expansion, Chinese foreign policy and US- and Europe-China relations, as well as policymakers and political advisors.

The Silk Road of the 21st Century, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, will certainly change the world. It will definitely stimulate economic growth and prosperity in China, the rest of Asia and elsewhere. But how can we prevent the environmental damage and the increasing inequality on a planetary scale brought about by the construction of this “road” - or in reality: a network of highways, railways, sea routes and other connections? This book deals with the question for the Maritime branch of the new Silk Road and discusses relevant strategies and technologies for sustainable and responsible port innovation and development. The backbone of the study is formed by a number of case studies of port projects in and outside of China. Some chapters focus on best practices, while others discuss new academic viewpoints, but in all cases, suggestions for improvement are given. Based on the idea that a large investment agenda also creates moral responsibility, the Chinese cases also serve to ascertain whether and to what extent they can serve as an example for projects elsewhere. A few introductory and thematic chapters and the conclusion give steering and sense to the rest of the book. Ultimately, this title gives a first and coherent analysis and assessment of a project that is unparalleled in the world and that constitutes an important determining factor for our future.

This book focuses on understanding the characteristics of the marine environment; overall characteristic of the marine resources (especially the marine new energy) and their current utilization; important routes, channels, and ports; and the Maritime Silk Road from the perspective of international law. It also discusses the significance and opportunities of the Maritime Silk Road initiative, analyzes the challenges involved in the construction of the Maritime Silk Road and provides corresponding countermeasures. Based on the above research, this book also proposes to construct a comprehensive application platform for the Maritime Silk Road that will be a practical tool for decision-making. This book is one of the series publications on the 21st century Maritime Silk Road (shortened as “Maritime Silk Road”). This series publications cover the characteristics of the marine environment and marine new energy, remote islands and reefs construction, climate change, early warning of wave disasters, legal escort, marine environment and energy big data construction, etc. contributing to the safe and efficient construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It aims to improve our knowledge of the ocean, thus to improve the capacity for marine construction, enhance the viability of remote islands and reefs, ease the energy crisis and protect the ecological environment, improve the quality of life of residents along the Maritime Silk Road, and protect the rights, interests of the countries and regions participating in the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It will be a valuable reference for decision-makers, researchers, and marine engineers working in the related fields.

The emerging conflict between the US and China has an inherent tendency towards a development of deglobalization. It is the historical prerequisites for this deglobalization that are examined in this book. These assumptions are largely based on what is termed the second wave of globalization, based on increasing technological competition between the US and China, as well as China's expansion along the New Silk Road. In this book, the author makes a distinction between the Old Globalization and the New Globalization. The Old Globalization was characterized by competition over costs in general and wage costs in particular, while the New Globalization is categorized by new competencies and skills, especially technological capabilities and technological innovations. The second wave, which is driven by technological innovations, lays the foundation for a counter-strategy on the part of the US to stem the Chinese technological expansion. It is this new strategy that confines the second wave of globalization from China and lays the foundation for deglobalization. The book analyses US-China relations from a fresh perspective, namely a systemic thinking approach. The focus is the emerging innovation economy, which leads to tension and deglobalization. The book is grounded in evolutionary economics and uses conceptual generalization in its descriptions, analysis, theoretical reflections, and real-world cases. The key message is that the economy of the future will be characterized by coordinated wave movements: economic growth mainly controlled by private capital alternating with economic downturns that necessitate collective solutions and government interventions.The book offers policy suggestions, which include promoting effective macroeconomic policies, and extending microeconomic cooperation schemes, related to the innovation economy.

The 'Belt and Road' initiative announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 aims at reviving the ancient trade routes connecting China to Europe and Africa: the '21st Century Maritime Silk Road' and the inland 'Silk Road Economic Belt'. Both maritime and land routes of the New Silk Road meet Europe in the Baltics — a region accounting for some 150 million inhabitants representing 30% of the total EU population. The maritime route enters Europe through the Mediterranean Sea before reaching the largest European seaports of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea up to Saint Petersburg in Russia. The land route starting from West China crosses Central Asia, Russia and Belarus before reaching the shores of the Baltic Sea.This book focuses on the business and economic dimensions of China's initiative: Chinese government objective and policies, the strategies of Chinese and foreign firms along the Silk Road, trade and investment between China and Nordic-Baltic countries, the Eurasia Land Bridge corridors and logistics, the impact of the New Silk Road on the economies of Central Asia, new institutions financing the 'Belt and Road', cross-cultural challenges and Sino-foreign joint ventures along the New Silk Road. The direct impact of China's initiative on economic sectors such as logistics services; the shipping, port management and maritime industry; construction and high-speed train; energy and engineering; and e-commerce, information technology and tourism will be assessed.Readers will be provided with an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges for companies and regions along the New Silk Road as well as 17 short case studies focusing on China-led projects currently developed along the 'Belt and Road' and 15 maps of the New Silk Road, the Baltic Sea Region and Central Asia to help in understanding China's vision and strategic moves.

This report, written by senior scholars of international studies and Indian Ocean studies, focuses on international relations in the Indian Ocean region and covers many aspects of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. The report covers strategic reviews, major events and related data in this region, as well as the origin and aims, frameworks and regional and global impacts of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. The contributors hail from five prominent institutes in China. Together they provide the readers a comprehensive and authentic picture of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. This year’s Annual Report is the third in the series and the only one that focuses exclusively on the Indian Ocean region in China.