Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative was launched by the Chinese government in 2013 as a major development strategy. It is designed to integrate Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions through massive infrastructural and transportation projects. The aim of OBOR initiative is to revive the historical “Silk Road” in order to facilitate rapid economic growth not just for China but for most of the developing world by modernizing elaborate land and sea trade-routes. If successful, OBOR will have significant and long lasting implications throughout the world in terms of international trade, investment, international relations, and the world order. China’s expanding economic power has caused widespread concern among many nations. Launching of this massive development strategy has generated an interesting debate between experts trusting China’s role as a provider of assistance toward economic development for developing nations, and others depicting the country’s desire toward world power ascendency. The objective of this paper is to examine the prospects of OBOR’s success and the potential challenges that lie ahead.