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<p>China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the biggest infrastructure project in the world today. This thesis examines what factors are behind some states being supportive of the BRI and other states pushing back against it. This thesis explored three case studies—Pakistan, Australia, and Mongolia. In each case, the BRI’s economic, cultural, geopolitical, and security implications were investigated. This thesis reveals that countries that gain economic benefits from BRI are mostly supportive of it, though they have misgivings in the geopolitical and security realms. On the other hand, countries, such as Mongolia and Australia, that are prioritizing geopolitical calculations have a tendency to keep strategic ambiguity. Mongolia and Pakistan are especially concerned about the BRI bringing them long-term financial burdens. There are worries about the BRI harming the geopolitical balance and the countries’ relationships with other regional powers. Cultural aspects such Sinophobia among the Mongolian and Australian society are playing a negative role. Overall, this thesis finds that countries respond to China’s BRI based on their own security, economic, cultural, and geopolitical interests.
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<br>Subjects: China; Belt and Road Initiative; Maritime Silk Road; China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor; Quadrilateral Security Dialogue</div>
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Erdenebileg, Temuulen</div>
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