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“Contingent power extension” and regional (dis)integration: China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its consequences for the EU

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  • Julia Gurol

    (University of Freiburg)

  • Fabricio Rodríguez

    (Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut)

Abstract

In this article, we explore the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a case of “Contingent Power Extension” (CPE) towards the European Union (EU), assessing its implications for regional (dis)integration in the latter. CPE is a conceptual prism that interprets the BRI as a polymorphous, dynamic, and context-specific mechanism through which Chinese foreign policy elites intend to convey, amplify, and legitimize the regime’s power-reach into other regions, including the EU. Along two examples—the 14 + 1 Cooperation Forum and the Port of Genoa in Italy—we examine the power dynamics of the BRI by tracing (a) the processual impact of power extension towards the EU and (b) the (un)intended consequences for the EU in terms of (dis)integration. The findings of our analysis provide an insight into the multicausal relations between the BRI and European (dis)integration not as a static outcome but rather as a contested process of struggle. The article concludes by discussing whether and how the EU can strengthen its own institutional foundations and use its systemic leverage to respond to the BRI while enhancing regional integration in the process.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Gurol & Fabricio Rodríguez, 2022. "“Contingent power extension” and regional (dis)integration: China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its consequences for the EU," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 441-456, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiaeu:v:20:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10308-022-00651-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10308-022-00651-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Anastas Vangeli, 2019. "Diffusion of ideas in the era of the Belt and Road: Insights from China–CEE think tank cooperation," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 421-436, December.
    4. Gonzalez-Vicente, Ruben, 2019. "Make development great again? Accumulation regimes, spaces of sovereign exception and the elite development paradigm of China's Belt and Road Initiative," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(4), pages 487-513, December.
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    6. Weiqing Song, 2019. "Logic of the Chinese developmental state and China’s geo-economic engagement with Central and Eastern Europe," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 387-401, December.
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