Link to article: https://english.news.cn/20231011/7024364370d44be1a84291d4dc304107/c.html
The article talks about China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, which is a program china has started to help industrialize other countries. The program is used in more underdeveloped countries which are in need of assistance. China finds these countries then allies with them promising a place in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road initiative helps a country in many ways, from railroads, to energy, to eco friendly programs, to ports, to airports, and even better infrastructure. All of these are what china gives to over 150 countries across the world. The majority of programs focusing on improving people’s livelihoods in these countries. Out of all this china only asks to be allies and for a small amount of natural resources.
China has put themselves in a very good position. China now has allies across the globe, with more concentration around themselves. China has accomplished all this with their Belt and Road programs, showing the world that the chinese industrialization method works. All this has allowed China’s influence to spread exponentially. China also takes a little bit of natural resources from each country, while only a small quantity from the country itself, from 150 countries it could amount to an unfathomable amount.This could put China in a position where it no longer needs the united states for almost anything. Alongside China’s growing influence, China has a real opportunity to become the leading global super power.
In international relations class, we have talked about how countries interact with each other to both support their own national interests. In this case, China is helping other countries to receive more natural resources and also expand their own influence. The 150 countries they’ve helped have acted in the interest of improving their own infrastructure and improving the quality of life of their citizens. Both countries are correct in making the agreement from their own viewpoints. This will likely continue until either China or the aided country decided that it is no longer in their national interest to be a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.