The Silk Road Economic Belt and EU-China Security Cooperation

The Belt and Road Initiative—a development framework first introduced by the Chinese government in 2013—is expected to increase economic cooperation and connectivity in Eurasia. This will require a reconsideration of the overlapping security interests of the two economic powerhouses on each end of the Eurasian landmass: the EU and China.

The first leg of the project explores whether the Silk Road Economic Belt can facilitate security cooperation between the EU and China in Eurasian regions of common interest to both, Central and South Asia. The second leg examines the security implications of the Belt Road Initiative’s maritime component, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in South East Asia, and the Indian Ocean Region.

The policy reports that result will be based largely on qualitative data collected through desk and field research. 

This project is supported by and carried out in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).