By Kevin McNeilly
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. The Current Situation and Challenges
4. Recommendations
5. Conclusion
6. References
7. About the Author
1. Introduction
Over the last decade, two major global proposals have simultaneously captured the attention of the world. In October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an initiative to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (commonly referred to as the Belt and Road Initiative or One Belt, One Road). Running parallel to this development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on January 1, 2016. This included the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and aimed to go further and help eradicate all forms of poverty and inequality by 2030. These two projects overlap and work together in many aspects. The aim of this entry is to demonstrate the role that education could play in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in order for it to be equitable and successful for the many countries participating. Many of the 17 SDG can be tied in with the BRI. However, for the purposes of this entry, Goal 4 'Quality Education' will be examined more closely.
2. Background
In the past, China's foreign policy under former leader, Deng Xiaoping, espoused the principles of Tao Guang Yang Hui (to conceal one's capabilities and bide one's time) and Jue Bu Dang Tou (never claim leadership) which changed over time to You Suo Zuo Wei (to make a modest contribution) (Wang & Song, 2016, p. 3). President Xi leads a new generation who have gradually abandoned the previous principles and moved towards a ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ to be completed by 2049 to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the People's Republic of China (Mayer, 2018, p. 2). The BRI is the manifestation of this new belief.
President Xi has characterised the two main parts of the BRI, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as ‘the two wings of China [the great eagle] ... Once constructed, China the eagle can fly higher and farther’ (Kaczmarski, 2017, p. 1363). The goal of the BRI is to consolidate the countries of Eurasia and connect the regions of Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Europe. The Chinese government’s vision for the BRI is to create:
an open, inclusive and balanced regional economic cooperation architecture that benefits all. Jointly building the Belt and Road is in the interests of the world community. Reflecting common ideals and the pursuit of human societies, it is a positive endeavour to seek new models of international cooperation and global governance, and will inject new positive energy into world peace and development (People’s Republic of China, 2015, para. 6).
The BRI evokes images of the Silk Road from the past. The Chinese government is banking upon the deep historical and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia and beyond, and seeks to build on this legacy (Winter, 2016, para. 10). Thus far it is estimated that over $300 billion have been spent, with plans to spend $1 trillion more over the coming decade (Manuel, 2017). The BRI encompasses:
the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, directly connecting some 65 countries, which account for about 60 per cent of the world's population, 30 percent of the world gross product, 40 percent of the world trade, and more than 50 per cent of the global population under the extreme poverty line. The initiative is also open to other countries (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2016).
Wang (2016) states that the BRI proposes to solve the problems of the unsustainability of China's development model and an attempt at meeting the effects of globalization (p. 4). As well, it symbolizes that ‘China is transforming from a participant to a shaper of globalization, and the situation is changing from one where China opens up to the outside world, to one where the world opens itself to China’ (Wang, 2016, p. 4).
The multi-billion-dollar project has been labeled the 'Chinese Marshall Plan' and criticized as a Beijing-orchestrated plan for world dominance (Kuo, 2018). It has also been condemned as ‘debt trap diplomacy’, barely concealing its imperialist ambitions, where China gains influence in recipient countries who are unable to repay the loans given to them to finance the BRI infrastructure (Pomfret, 2018). The Centre for Global Development released a report stating that 23 countries were at risk of debt stress as a result of BRI financed projects (Hurley, 2018). Regardless of this criticism, Beijing has managed to gain United Nations support for the mega-infrastructure project and continues to move forward.
The aim of SDG 4 is to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all’ (UN, 2015, p. 21). Of particular interest to this entry, Goal 4.4 aims to ‘substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship’ (UN, 2015, p. 21). In order to be successful and sustainable for all parties involved, all stakeholders must benefit from the variety of infrastructure projects currently under construction or being planned. The recipient countries need to take advantage of their human capital to realize the full benefits of this development opportunity. This endeavour should not simply be a one-way street where China and the global economy reap the many rewards while the recipient countries become 'transit' points. The BRI projects are at risk of being planned and implemented by 'outsiders' with little to no benefit to the recipient countries and their people. Education, most importantly in the form of technical and vocational skills to ready youth and adults for employment, must be involved and this includes the necessary groundwork in education to prepare the local people to be fully involved in the projects and not simply as observers of the process with little to no economic benefit.
3. The Current Situation and Major Challenges
The Ministry of Education issued the Education Action Plan for the Belt and Road Initiative in July 2016. The opening paragraph states that:
Increased cooperation and joint action by the Belt and Road countries in education are an important part of what the Belt and Road Initiative aims to achieve, and in turn, can provide the talent needed to make the Initiative a success (Ministry of Education for
The People's Republic of China, 2016, para. 1).
This document's mission statement elaborates that ‘Promoting a common prosperity of education in the countries along the routes will not only strengthen win-win cooperation with these countries, but also provide strong stimulus to domestic reform and development in education’ (Ministry of Education, 2016, para. 3). The Action Plan also states the vision, principles and priorities for cooperation. Within the priorities of cooperation, Area 2 is of particular interest to this entry. It announces four programs that will help ‘deepen cooperation on cultivation and training of talent’ (Ministry of Education, 2016, para. 18). These include a two-way student exchange enhancement program, cooperation in running educational institutions and programs of enhancement, teacher training enhancement program and joint education and training enhancement programs (Ministry of Education for the People’s Republic of China, 2016, para. 18).
This official government publication demonstrates the importance that China places on education within the BRI.The Chinese government frames the BRI as a win-win situation for all stakeholders. Development for recipient countries and access to Central Asia's natural resources China’s economy desperately needs to continue to grow. The BRI’s aim of infrastructure development to more efficiently connect Central Asia to China helps quench this thirst and also allows Beijing to meet a variety of domestic challenges. These include reallocating its industrial overcapacity by opening up new markets ‘to export technologies, creativity, management skills, materials and labour…absorb and diversify China’s financial surplus and help increase capitalization and control extensive domestic investment’ (Mitrovic, 2018, PAGE).
Another challenge is pushback from recipient countries that feel they are not gaining enough benefits from the BRI projects domestically. One example is in Laos where a BRI rail project will link Vientiane with the Chinese border. ‘There are complaints among Laotians that the labor on the rail line is predominantly Chinese, detracting from any knock-on benefits to the economy’ (Yomada, 2018, para. 57). This is one example of how Chinese labour and companies may be gaining at the expense of local workers in recipient countries.
Despite these challenges, China has managed to gain the backing of the UN to support the initiative (Lynch, 2018, para. 5). However, moving forward, how can recipient countries benefit from the BRI? This connects back to the SDG Goal 4. Education may not be one of the high-profile components of the BRI. It does not attract the same attention as ports and railway infrastructure projects. Nonetheless, President Xi has declared the importance of boosting education as part of the BRI. As of mid-2018, 81 education institutions and projects and 35 cultural centres had been developed as part of the initiative (Mu, 2018, para. 12).
Furthermore, Shandong University has set up an International Master of Project Management specifically for students from BRI recipient countries (Dehua, 2017). Time will tell if these are steps in the right direction.
Some recipient countries face difficulties providing basic higher education, while others have problems related to the quality, efficiency and cost of higher education. This, in turn, has an effect on the availability of skilled labour (Yii et al., 2018). Workers in the recipient countries need to be trained with the appropriate skills to be employed as part of the BRI. This is necessary for them to not only participate in the current and future projects, but also to maintain them and allow them to operate to their full capacity in order to benefit the recipient nations.
Consequently, this can help them further develop their economies and spread the advantages of the projects across their societies. SDG 4.4 connects to the need to train youth and adults to have the necessary skills to be centrally involved in the BRI projects and benefit from them economically. To date there has been some progress as demonstrated by Shandong University's initiative mentioned above. But more can be done by all parties involved to help achieve this goal.
4. Recommendations
International institutions like the UN and the World Bank can also take leadership to create conditions for firms engaging in the infrastructure projects to train and employ local people from the recipient countries. These countries and their citizens can benefit as much as the Chinese and global economy from the BRI projects. Foreign workers need not be ‘helicoptered’ in to build the projects and then leave once they are complete while pocketing the wages and taking the valuable skills and knowledge with them. It is an investment in human capital to train the recipient workers to be up to the task.
Of late, there seems to be a sense of caution arising around the BRI. Some recipient countries are voicing concern over the management of the infrastructure projects. For example, the recently elected Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, warned of a “new colonialism” while on a state visit to China. This came on top of his election campaigning that attacked BRI financed projects as, ‘unaffordable for a country with already large debt’ (Bowring, 2018, para. 11). These cracks in the surface of the BRI present opportunities to reassess the mega-project and make changes to ensure it is sustainable and beneficial to all stakeholders moving forward.
The Chinese government can respond to these challenges by demonstrating that the BRI does not have a hidden political agenda. It need not look far back in its own history to remember how its aid policy and ideology were affected by its own experiences of ensuring that aid was a win win for all parties involved to be successful (Brautigam, 2009). Beijing can again adopt this thinking and to take steps that bring mutual benefit to both itself and the recipient countries. This would be a step towards helping determine the long-term success and legacy of the Belt and Road Initiative.
5. Conclusion
The BRI is a mega-project on an unprecedented scale and has the potential to change the Asian landscape in literal and figurative terms. It overlaps in many key areas with the SDGs. Goal 4 'Quality Education', especially technical and vocational skills, should be an essential part of the planning and implementation of the BRI. Some measures have been taken to build upon these goals and they can be seen to be a step in the right direction. However, more can be done to keep the BRI moving in the right direction to ensure that all parties can benefit from the possibilities and promises that can be achieved. All stakeholders can reap the rewards to make certain that future generations can praise the leaders for having the foresight to manage the challenges involved in such an undertaking. Rising to meet these obstacles will help guarantee that the BRI will be successfully implemented and maintained for generations to come.
6. References
Bowring, P. (2018, September 27). Commentary: Caution Rising in China Beneath the Belt and Road Initiative’s Shiny facade. Channel NewsAsia: International Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/cracks-beneath-the-shiny-facade-of-the-be lt-and-road-initiative-10701696
Brautigam, D. (2009). The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Dehua, C. (2017, May 23). Belt and Road Initiative Now Extends to Education. GBTimes. Retrieved from: https://gbtimes.com/belt-and-road-initiative-now-extends-education
Go, Y. and Palma, S. (2018, March 28). Is China’s Belt and Road Working? A Progress Report from Eight Countries. Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved from: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/Is-China-s-Belt-and-Road-working-A-progress-rep ort-from-eight-countries
Hurley, J., Morris, S. & Portelance, G. (2018, March). Examining the Debt Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative from a Policy Perspective. CGD Paper 121: p4. Retrieved from: https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/examining-debt-implications-belt-and-road-initiative-p olicy-perspective.pdf
Kuo, L & Kommenda, N. (2018, July 30). What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative? The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/ng-interactive/2018/jul/30/what-china-belt-road-initiative-sil k-road-explainer#top
Lynch, C. (2018, May 10). China Enlists U.N. to Promote its Belt and Road Project. Foreign Policy. Retrieved from: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/10/china-enlists-u-n-to-promote-its-belt-and-road-project/
Manuel, A. (2017, October 17). China is Quietly Reshaping the World. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/china-belt-and-road/542667/
Mayer, M. (2018). China's Rise as Eurasian Power: The Revival of the Silk Road and its Consequences. In Mayer, M. (2018). Rethinking the Silk Road: China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Emerging Eurasian Relations. Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Ministry of Education for the People’s Republic of China. (2016, July). Education Action Plan for The Belt and Road Initiative. Retrieved from: https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/zchj/qwfb/30277.htm
Mitrovic, D. (2018). China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting and Transforming Initiative. In Cheng, Y., Song, L. & Huang, L. (Eds.). The Belt and Road Initiative in the Global Arena: Chinese and European Perspectives (pp. 17-34). Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mu, X. (2018, August 28). Xi Gives New Impetus to Belt and Road Initiative. Xinhua. Retrieved from: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/28/c_137423414.htm
People’s Republic of China: National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce. (2015, March). Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Retrieved from: https://www.beltandroad.gov.hk/visionandactions.html
Pomfret, J. (2018, August 27). China’s Debt Traps around the World are a Trademark of its Imperialist Ambitions. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/08/27/chinas-debt-traps-around-the-world-are-a-trademark-of-its-imperialist-ambitions/?utm_term=.4aefa417d2de
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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2016, August 16). Jointly Building the “Belt and Road” towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/policy/building-belt-road-towards-sdgs.html
Wang, Y. (2016). The Belt and Road Initiative: What will China Offer the World in its Rise. Beijing: New world press.
Wang, J. & Song, W. (2016). New Players and New Order of Global Governance. In Wang, J., & Song, W. (2016). China, the European Union, and the International Politics of Global Governance. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Winter, T. (2016, March 29). One Belt, One Road, One Heritage: Cultural Diplomacy and the Silk Road. The Diplomat. Retrieved from:https://thediplomat.com/2016/03/one-belt-one-road-one-heritage-cultural-diplomacy-and-the-silk-road/
Yii, K.J., Bee, K.Y., Cheam, W.L., Chong, Y.M., & Lee, C. (2018). Is Transportation Infrastructure Important to the One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative? Empirical Evidence from the Selected Asian Countries. Sustainability, 10(11).
7. About the Author
Kevin McNeilly
MEd, The University of Hong Kong
Email: kevin.mcneilly@gmail.com