Richard T. Griffiths: The maritime silk road: China's belt and road at sea International Institute for Asian Studies, pp. 232. ISBN 978-9-0823-8105-4

摘要

While attending an international Maritime and Port Law Conference, I was caught by a presentation on the Chinese port system development and internationalization. Its speaker shared a map with red and blue lines extending towards Europe, depicting the so-called Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) along historical Silk Road trade routes. China's heavy investments have gone beyond its neighboring countries and the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The giant's foreign policy is comprehensive and broad and has already reached the European Union. Is China attempting to boost international trade to spread its area of influence further? What are the actual reasons behind its generous offers to countries in desperate financial need? Have those nations benefited at all after receiving economic help? Other questions concerning the BRI project can be raised: have their objectives been achieved? If so, to what extent? Considering these queries, I found it challenging to resist reviewing "The maritime silk road: China's belt and road at sea": a book written by Richard T. Griffiths.