China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative and Its Ambitions for Global Hegemony

This research paper analyses China's One Belt, One Road initiative and explores its ambitions for influencing the world economy through these economic corridors. However, each economic corridor has been separately explained in order to understand how these economic corridors would contribute to the rise and expansion of China in the world. In addition, to know whether the One Belt and One Road Initiative offers these six corridors' member states an opportunity to create a win-win relationship with China. It will ensure access and increase trade volume to the major world markets, or is it still a pipe dream for these countries to obtain such goals and objectives? Apart from this, to find out how it would improve and enhance regional connectivity, people-to-people contact, economic development, transit trade, road and maritime transport networks and tourism. This study used the qualitative method with an interpretive and descriptive approach. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants for the interview, and the snowball sampling technique was used to approach the participants. Five participants were interviewed through an interview schedule. The interview schedule was emailed to participants, and they typed their responses on MS Word and sent them back to the researcher. The researcher developed themes, and data were analyzed according to those themes. The findings of the study suggested that China has initiated these projects to promote its political power and economic interests in the region.


Introduction
The One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative is a grand strategy of China's foreign policy, which reflects China's ambition to hold sway strategically, economically, politically and militarily in the global arena.However, it aimed to facilitate and accelerate interconnectivity and infrastructure development at the center of geo-economics and geopolitics, which can change the landscape of this region.The initiative is essential in increasing trade and investment for its member countries.It also boosts the economic trade and investment other than member countries.Xi Jinping, the President of China, initiated the OBOR initiative as an essential economic policy to accelerate China's global investment in 2013.The "Belt" refers to the past "Silk Road Economic Belt", a transportation route through Central Asia to Europe.The "Road" refers to South Asia, Africa and Middle East sea routes through Southeast Asia.Chinese government and entrepreneur explored paths to expand their connectivity.Jinping, the President of China, assigned the National Development and Reform Commission the responsibility.The commission released its documents in 2015 and economic corridors like the China-Central Asia-West Asia, New-Eurasian land Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China-Indochina Peninsula, and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar.However, the most essential part of the BRI is connectivity, such as ports, roads, rails, grids, pipes and cables (Mendee, 2020).The OBOR initiative covers 65 countries, as reported by the Development Research Centre (Centre for International Relations and Sustainable Development Silk Road Forum, 2015).Nearly 100 states and International Organizations had signed up to work on the BRI initiative.The Belt and Road Initiative includes an area that contains 63% of the world's population, 30% of the world's GDP, and 24% of the world's domestic consumption, which covers over 75% of the energy reserves.China had more than $ 3 trillion in annual trade with BRI countries from 2014 to 2016.Therefore, China gives more attention to jacking up its likeness in world trade diplomacy by launching numerous projects to resurrect the BRI.It also intended to reinvigorate the New Silk Road, one of BRI's plans (Karim & Islam, 2018).So, the present study is conducted to determine the intention of China's strategic plans and policies for controlling and developing its economic and political hegemony in the world.How would different economic corridors pave the way for China to gain power and create a bipolar world?
Objectives of the Study 1.To explore China's ambitions for global hegemony through the One Belt One Road Initiative. 2. To find out the impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative on member countries.3. To provide policies for better implementation of OBOR projects for member states.

Research Questions
1. How does the One Belt, One Road Initiative help China become a global hegemonic power? 2. How does the One Belt, One Road initiative affect the economy of developing and developed countries?3. Is the US afraid of China's expansion, particularly about launching these grand projects?4. What kind of challenges does China face in establishing these economic corridors?5. What economic opportunities does the OBOR initiative create for its member countries?

Literature Review
Mostly, all major powers have reservations over China's geopolitical expansion and sway globally, particularly in their respective regions.The United States of America is concerned about China's reaching deep sea ports, development of digital infrastructure and space exploration that reduce US supremacy as a world leader.Regional powers like Australia, India, Japan and Russia are upset about depriving their clout to China within their regions in the South Pacific, South Asia, East Asia and Eurasia.However, Western Powers directly expressed their apprehensions over China's rising power in Central Europe and the Balkans (Mendee, 2020).President of China, Xi Jinping, announced SRE in 2013, known as BRI.The BRI Mega project is a new type of Eurasian connectivity meant to revitalize the past Silk Road in the northern component.It started from the coastal areas of China to Central Asia and Europe.The Silk Road of Maritime passes from Southeast Asia of China to South Asia and Africa.The BRI project aims to integrate overland economic corridors such as BCIM-MC, CPEC, and the Silk Road Maritime (Karim & Islam, 2018).XI Jinping, The President of China, uncovered the OBOR Initiative in September 2013, the magnificent expansion plan for regional connectivity, trade collaboration, social interaction, mutual learning among countries, and past economic corridors.Therefore, the BRI is open to regional and international organizations and all countries.The grand BRI initiative is based on the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road for strengthening collaboration and broadening regional collective development, including both routes.Joint Building Silk Road Economic Belt and its vision, actions, and the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century were advanced in 2015.The blueprint outlined strategies for regional connectivity through five suggested land and maritime routes and six new international development corridors connecting the Asian and European continents.The China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor is important because it opens up new avenues for transit routes to promote trade and commerce in the Eurasian region.The three heads of state, China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and The President of Mongolian, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, in Uzbekistan, Tashkent 2016 were signed to develop a plan to build an economic corridor to connect the neighbouring countries.While Xi Jinping emphasized the need for three countries to align the SREB (Silk Road Economic Belt) China, Russian strategies for development, notably the transcontinental rail plan and Mongolia's Steppe Road program, keenly strengthened the trilateral cooperation (Xinhua, 2016).In 2018, China-Russia trade surpassed $100 billion, touching $ 107 billion and accounting for 15% of Russian exports and imports.China needs abundant natural resources; In 2019, China and Russia signed an agreement to exchange both states' currencies while bilateral trading as they ratchet up endeavor to stay away from the US dollar (Lukin, 2020).Moreover, Russia desires to integrate its Eurasian Economic Union with the BRI under the Greater Eurasian Partnership, as envisioned by Putin, the president of Russia (Mendee, 2020).The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation was initially known as the "Kunming Initiative".The objectives are to create sub-regional trading zones to link the least developed region of southwest China and India's northeast region through Myanmar and Bangladesh.The BCIM seeks to promote trade and land connectivity, which could link the northeastern states of India with the southwestern province of Yunnan through Bangladesh and northern Myanmar.However, the other two routes will be from Mandalay of Myanmar to Chittagong of Bangladesh and Sittwe seaport in the Rakhine state of Myanmar (Islam et al.., 2018).The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is one of OBOR's projects.The visit of Xi Jinping, the president of China, to Islamabad in April 2015 and Nawaz Sharif, the PM of Pakistan, uncovered the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is China's OBOR's grand project.CPEC soon reached $62 billion, covering several proposed great projects.Nawaz Sharif described the Pakistan Economic Corridor as a "Game Changer", and it improves the infrastructure of Pakistan, diminishes blackouts, generates more jobs and enhances economic development (Sacks, 2021).The starting points are the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, Nanning, Guangxi (East Line) and Kunming, Yunnan (Western Line), ending in Singapore.It runs via the Indochina Peninsula and covers six crucial members of ASEAN: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.It is an excellent carrier for China and ASEAN countries to advance and promote collaboration and a crucial conduit and transnational economic corridor linking the land Silk Road and Sea and Southeast Asia.More importantly, the Indochina Peninsula is situated between China and the subcontinent and between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, with unprecedented geographical location, and has historically been the center of the Maritime Silk Road (Janbo, 2022).Vietnam has become in a position to avail the most significant opportunity from the BRI in the Indochina region.The history of Vietnam's economic dependency on China has made the Vietnamese public hesitant to work with the One Belt, One Road Initiative (BRI) (Newgarden, 2019).The New Eurasian Land Bridge is one of China's most significant infrastructure projects, which connects Chinese exporters to European markets.It comprises rail corridors that run over 12,000 kilometers from Yiwu in eastern China to Western European stations, for instance, Duisberg, Madrid and London.However, the journey takes around two weeks.The New Eurasian Land Bridge is one of China's One Belt, One Road initiatives to advance transportation links between China and other parts of the continent.It is an offshoot of the New Silk Road Economic Belt across Eurasia.The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road contains sea routes to Africa and the Mediterranean (Babones, 2017).So far, several railway commerce roads have become functional and incorporated into the Belt Road Initiative because of intercontinental integration and, afterwards, economic development that they ensure for member states (Sarwar, 2018).China is a vital investment partner with certain Central Asian states, especially Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.It has been strengthening its interests in the Central Asian states.China has become an essential factor in the infrastructural and economic development by constructing roads, tunnels, railway tracks, power lines and oil refineries in this region.The role of China has been central to advancing the two crucial Central Asian road linkages of Osh-Sarytash-Irkeshtam and Bishkek-Naryn Torugart in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan-the Irkeshtam Pass traverses via the Osh-Sary Tash of Kyrgyzstan to the Kashgar in China.However, the other most important Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart road transportation link road linking Kyrgyzstan with parts of Europe, East Asia and the CAREC Transport Corridor and works as a prime regional financial centre by joining the landlocked CAREC countries with the Eurasian and world markets (Khetran, 2017).The President of China, Xi Jinping, announced the revival of the ancient Silk Road in the capital, Astana, Kazakhstan, on September 7, 2013.Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of the Central Asian countries for China and the critical role played by the Eurasian region in China's grand Belt and Road initiative.President Xi Jinping, in his maiden visit to the Central Asian republics, offered these countries to work collectively to develop the New Silk Road Economic Belt.Xi Jinping added that China-Central Asia should work to advance rail and road connectivity through the development of firm networks of highways, bridges and airfields to set up the strategic regional passageway from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea and slowly go toward the establishment of network transportation which links Eastern, Western and Sothern Asia (Serikkaliyeva, 2019).

Methodology
The research was initiated to thoroughly examine China's grand strategy, the One Belt and One Road Initiative.This research was qualitative.The purpose of the study was to know the changes in the geopolitical relationship regarding determining the development of BRI's member countries.The method of data collection was primary.The researchers have interviewed experts in the field, especially political figures and security experts.The research participants were selected through purposive sampling techniques.The participants were approached through snowball sampling techniques.Five participants were interviewed using an open-ended interview schedule.The interview schedule was sent through email, and the participants answered the questions and sent their responses through email.

Results and Findings
Research Themes Theme 1: One Belt, One Road Initiative is a strategy of China to become a global hegemonic power China's One Belt, One Road initiative aimed to expand its global power.Interviewee 2 explained, "The One Belt One Road Initiative of China is its strategy to expand its influence worldwide, and this initiative targets under-developed countries.Dangling the carrot to invite them ensures that countries agree to it".Similarly, in an interview with a researcher, interviewee 1 said: Absolutely, yes, we all know the motive behind China's exploitative and expansionist designs.First, China has created such a place in the global market that today, Europe, America and even large populations like India are far from stopping using "Chinese" or "Made in China" products.The second strategy that China has implemented in several countries is known as the "debt trap".China has granted loans to poor countries, knowing they would not be able to repay them, and in return, China will have leverage and influence on those countries.As Interviewee 5 said, "China disguises its evil intentions and portrays itself as an angel and service to those countries.Although these were loans, they were not aid.The loan repayment terms were so harsh that today China has taken over at least two foreign ports in exchange for loan arrears."Similarly, under the CPEC project, Gwadar port is in the hands of China.Ormara Naval Base is under its influence.There have been reports of several submarines and Chinese troops in the Gwadar and Baloch Sea.The UAE's maritime borders are close to where the US fleet is based.Thus, China follows the policy of supremacy and hegemony on every ground, particularly furthering its presence in the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

Theme 2: The economic impacts of the One Belt, One Road initiative on the developing and developed countries
The OBOR is also essential for developing countries.In an interview with the researcher, Interviewee 2 explained, "The developed countries are wary of this One Belt One Road Initiative of China because they see it as challenging their economic interests and their political influence in the countries that are accepting this initiative."The developing countries think they will have economic benefits but need to see what happened in Sri Lanka, where China took over the Hambantota Port in place of debts that Sri Lanka took.In an interview with a researcher, interviewee 4 stated, In my view, developing countries would only be used to fuel China's expansionist designs, and its people would be the most affected victims.Most of those who are directly part of these projects are worried about the loans and their repayment.Many are close to bankruptcy.You can take the example of Sri Lanka and the current economic condition of Pakistan.The abundance of Chinese products in the markets of developed countries has forced them to think of some way to block China's economic path and find an alternative.Interviewee 3 explained, "Several alliances have been formed to block the economic path."Among them, the muchdiscussed "quad", which includes Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States, is originally intended to compete with China."From this, developed countries' economies are not having a good impact.They see it as a political and economic competition and challenge.They know that the presence of many Chinese products in the markets and their availability at relatively easy prices are the reasons for the increase in China's foreign exchange.Interviewee 3 explained, "Of course, this is due to cheap labour and China's large population."The One Belt, One Road Initiative has hugely impacted developing countries.OBOR has destroyed the economies of many developing countries, and their ordinary citizens only received further inflation and poverty.
Theme 3: The US is afraid about China's expansion and launching these grand projects The United States fears this initiative because it sees it as a direct challenge to its hegemonic and political interests.There has already been a simmering trade war between the US and China, which only aggravates the situation.Both are primarily concerned with profits and the political say they have in matters of other countries.Interviewee 5 stated, "Americans are susceptible about their national interests and its future.They make efforts from different angles to maintain the title of economic power further.China is their next potential economic competitor, increasing its military power and influence worldwide."China is trying to reach the seas where the US fleet is located.Of course, it is natural for America to be apprehensive.

Theme 4: The challenges face China for launching these economic corridors
China faces resistance from the people who know their resources will be looted in the name of development.Interviewee 1 explained, The best example is the Baloch resentment and resistance to this initiative, which goes by the name of CPEC here.People are justified to feel under threat of being exploited and oppressed as they have seen what has gone on in Tibet for ages.The people know that even if there is no direct Chinese involvement in oppression, the host country would use brute force.Member countries do not threaten China, as it can play the debt trap game there.Although we have seen in several countries, the natives have rejected and resisted those projects.Interview 5 explained by exemplifying Baluchistan, "as the Baloch nation has left the Pakistan Economic Corridor and used all means of resistance against it.Due to this, CPEC is still uncompleted, and Gwadar port has not been operational according to their designs."Therefore, China has faced challenges in some areas and used its utmost power to counter those voices, but on a larger scale, China has benefited from these projects.With their completion, China will be present in every corner of the world.It may need help building infrastructure and remittances, as all are in dollars.Decisions have to be made by looking at the dollar reserve.China will want these reserves to stay strong.If it currently has a reserve of three trillion dollars, then looking at the cost of these projects can be a challenge.Completing massive infrastructure would take a considerable amount of time, without which the pace of work and the completion of projects could be delayed.In an interview with a researcher, Interviewee 4 explained, "The biggest challenge for these projects would be the forces that intend to defeat these "corridors".Anti-China forces can openly unite to defeat them, as we have seen in the US and European alliance against Russia in the Russian-Ukraine war."Theme 5: The economic opportunities the One Belt, One Road initiative creates for its member countries If the economic opportunities had been meant for the host countries, the Hambantota affair in Sri Lanka would not have existed.This initiative primarily aims to clear the Chinese profits and its economic clout.Political clout is the natural outcome of the financial clout.In an interview with the researcher, interviewee 5 explained, Opportunities for member states depend on that country's political environment and governance.A good political environment and good governance are the first conditions.Without it, all the money will go into wrong and unnecessary schemes or corruption.If you look at the six corridors, there has not been a country where corruption cases and stories of corrupt politicians are not in the headlines.As far as Pakistan and CPEC are concerned, the main projects of CPEC are in Baluchistan, where a massive war for national independence has been going on for the last two decades.All Pakistani and foreign projects, including CPEC, are the main targets of this war.As interviewee 1 stated, "The Baloch nation is resisting these projects by declaring them as colonial projects."Therefore, the Baloch people are not getting any benefit from these projects; instead, there is an increase in the Baloch national genocide at the hands of the Pakistani state and brutal military operations in civilian populations.Instead of getting any benefit or availing any opportunity, Baloch people are getting the dead bodies of their loved ones.As I said earlier, there is no good for anyone except China.

Discussion
China is the country which has initiated the One Build One Road initiative.The main purpose of China is to control the political and economic arena of the world.It has great importance because it opens up new avenues for transit routes to promote trade and commerce in the Eurasian region.For example, the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor is the shortest land corridor is China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor between Mongolia and its neighbors, which seeks to improve infrastructure links between these countries and create new sea and land routes for Mongolian natural resources.More importantly, the One Belt, One Road initiative would facilitate Mongolia's connectivity with Asian and Eurasian markets.The unbreakable partnership of China and Russia has a great number of attentions that continue to evolve toward more consolidation.China eagerly desires to build up the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor is a part of the BRI for trade development that connects the southern part of China to India through Myanmar and Bangladesh.On the other hand, China has shown keen interest in bringing the ancient Silk Road trade route to stimulate economic cooperation.China realizes to make the ancient Silk Road successful through BCIM, and then India's cooperation is vital and inevitable.Moreover, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor will further promote trade and connectivity in general in the region and among member states in particular.Likewise, China Pakistan Economic Corridor connects Gwadar (Balochistan) to Xinjiang, the western province of China.It also links southwestern China through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.The deep-sea port of Gwadar is of immense importance, situated on the Baloch Sea, which is very close to the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most significant oil transit route.It is strategically important to China because it provides access to China to monitor the US naval activities in the Indian Ocean as well as the existence of the Indian navy.India openly opposes CPEC because it passes on disputed areas of Pakistan and India.China has been urging Pakistan to hold sway in the disputed territory of Kashmir to avoid such a long-lasting conflict that likely would unleash a devastating impact on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.The US was an arch-rival of China, stepping up its efforts to counter China's rise in the region as well as globally, backing India to counter China's expansionism in the region, whereas India also strengthened its strategic ties with the US to contend with Pakistan.Likewise, the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor is a part of the BRI of China, which aims at deepening regional connectivity and economic cooperation over land and sea.The building of the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor will strengthen regional economic cooperation and enhance regional economic integration as well as boost the optimized distribution of production factors and industries of the various countries.Apparently, China is a world leader in the development of transportation-related infrastructures.In addition to this, the economy of China has been the largest in Asia.China also initiated the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor under one BRI.It connects China to Europe and Western Russia, which is an international passageway linking the Pacific and the Atlantic and gained so much importance in the international political arena.It immensely facilitates trade and other barters between Asia and Europe, which is China's master plan connectivity through the Belt Road Initiative that intended to improve trade and commerce and railway networks and focuses on goods transportation, linking China with Europe.China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor offers a huge advantage for connectivity that connects western China to Turkey via Central Asia and West Asia.It is vital for the economic growth of the mentioned regions, and China would be a major beneficiary of this project.Hence, it expends investment and trade, especially in Central Asia.However, China's rapid growth of economy and growing relationships with the regional players have changed in global political atmosphere.Therefore, it has been promoting multilateral cooperation with the regional powers.The findings of the current study suggest that China has initiated these projects to enhance its hegemonic power in the world.The world is going to be bipolar world if the projects of China will be successful.The economic and political situation of conflict regions like Balochistan would also be affected by these projects like CPEC.

Conclusion
All these six economic corridors, as a flagship of the One Belt One Road initiative (BRI), pass through several countries and connect a number of countries to boost economic trade and activities for reaping economic benefit.Therefore, all corridors intended to contribute to socioeconomic development globally by developing connectivity and infrastructure, i.e. roads, railways, telecommunications, ports, energy pipelines, waterways, airways, trade and investment.Besides this, participating countries would benefit in terms of regional connectivity, enhancement of trade and investment, booming markets, improvement of transport infrastructure and setting up economic and industrial zones.In addition to this, these six economic corridors the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC), the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIMEC), the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (CPEC), the New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB) and the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor (CCWAEC) will alter the world affairs as China's rapid economic growth and rising influence in the global affairs to bring about a new balance of power.The key player in international political affairs, US strategic and economic interests are at risk, which makes international politics much more complex.Thus, the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative has become the prime focus on regional and international politics which has far-reaching ramifications on both regional and international politics.The initiative reshapes the international politics and economic order, which leads to the U.S. counter policies and strategies against the One Belt One Road initiative.

Table Interviewee
Strategic analyst and political thinker based in Quetta