Browsing Department of History, Political Science and Development Studies by Subject "BRI, Chinese foreign policy, geopolitics, economics, perceptions"
(Center for Social and Strategic Research, Cappadocia University., 2019-12-31) Masabo, Conrad John
China’s engagement with the world has been evolving to reflect its
various economic developments, and although China’s economic progress since
2010 may not be a shock to many, its recent dramatic re-emergence at the centre
of global politics has thrown familiar issues into a sharp relief. One such issue
is the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has been of key interest
to policy makers, and which, since 2015, has expanded immensely to link China
with Asia, Europe and Africa, boosting trade, development and cultural
exchange throughout a broad infrastructure network. This paper presents the
findings of a study that was designed to examine the implications of Chinese
foreign policy on the perceptions of BRI among foreign students of the East
China Normal University in Shanghai, China. The findings of the study reveal
that the foreign students’ perceptions of BRI are influenced by how Chinese
foreign policy is and was perceived in their respective home countries, and that
the experience of living in China had little or no impact in changing their
established perceptions. Based on these findings, the study concludes that, the
future implementation of BRI will be highly influenced by the existing Chinese
diplomatic relations, and as such recommends the consolidation and expansion
of China’s existing diplomatic relations if it desires a smoother and better
adoption of the BRI in other countries