Belt and Road Initiative: the Intertwining of China’s Foreign Policy and Economic Nationalism

Since the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) formulation as a coherent policy in 2013, it has become a pillar of China’s international relations. Arguably the most ambitious economic and infrastructure construction project seen in centuries, Beijing has sought to sell the BRI as a transformative and mutually beneficial for all involved. Others have argued that the BRI is more likely driven not by altruism but Beijing’s desire to promote its own economic growth and bind the international economy closer to itself. Whilst the foreign policy, economic impact and rational of the BRI has been widely discussed and debated over the past decade, Beijing’s efforts to promote the project domestically and mobilise the Chinese population in support has received less attention. To fill this relative gap, the authors draw upon neoclassical realist theory to explore and explain how Beijing has sought to draw upon Chinese economic nationalism to sell the BRI domestically. In doing so, China has been able to extract the necessary domestic resources required to pursue the international objectives which lie at the heart of the BRI.