Indo-Pacific Focus – serie

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the new developments in China’s energy cooperation with Asian and African countries under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) over the past decade. It seeks to analyze the driving forces, new progress, and main challenges of energy cooperation between China and BRI route states. This book adopts a multi-dimensional perspective to analyze China’s energy cooperation with BRI route states, combining economic, political analysis, cultural narrative, and environmental governance. In contrast to traditional books that focus solely on energy security, this book combines economic and cultural dimensions, incorporating a broader framework. This book offers new perspectives on studying BRI energy cooperation. First, it emphasizes both China’s and BRI route states’ roles in BRI energy cooperation and highlights the common interests and mutual benefits between the two sides. It shows how China and BRI route states benefit from the energy cooperation. Second, the book also examines energy competition, particularly in energy infrastructure, between China, the United States, India, and Japan in Asian and African states, and how the competition could reshape the global energy infrastructure. Third, the book discusses environmental governance under BRI energy cooperation and reveals how China and BRI route states promote governance capabilities in the energy sector.   The book has a vast readership and is suitable for academics and policy-minded readers. Scholars of international relations, energy policy, Asian and African studies, the BRI, and Chinese foreign policy will find the insightful views presented in the book valuable for their research. Policymakers and diplomats will benefit from its practical analyses, particularly in energy cooperation and competition.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the development of China-Bangladesh relations over the past fifty years. It seeks to understand bilateral relations' diplomatic, economic, and strategic dimensions by examining historical trends and contemporary developments. This book carefully explores and highlights key aspects of economic partnerships, geopolitical alliances, and cultural exchanges, making it a valuable resource for scholars and policymakers. This book adopts a multi-dimensional perspective to analyze China-Bangladesh relations, combining historical narrative with political, economic, and security analysis. In contrast to traditional books that focus solely on diplomatic interactions, this book combines regional and global contexts, incorporating a broader framework.This book is intended for a wide range of academic and policy-minded readers. Scholars of international relations, South Asian studies, and Chinese foreign policy will find the theoretical insights and empirical data presented in the book valuable for their research. Policymakers and diplomats will benefit from the practical analysis of China-Bangladesh cooperation, particularly in trade, security, and regional diplomacy. Although the book is based on meticulous research, it remains accessible to the general reader interested in geopolitics and international affairs.

This edited book aims to present a well-balanced view on the heated debate about BRI’s “debt trap” controversy within the route states by presenting compelling evidence from Asian and African countries. It is contributed by the university scholars, think tank experts, and governmental officials from the concerned parties such as China, USA, South/Southeast Asia, and Africa to discuss this new topic from their perspectives. It not only examines the origins and changes in external debt among the BRI route states before and after the launch of the BRI, but also analyzes the outcomes stemming from BRI projects. The book covers 12 chapters, in which the first chapter briefly introduces the aims and scope of this book. The following 2 chapters look at Chinese and Indian perspectives on the “debt trap”, respectively. The next 9 chapters examine the debt issue and BRI projects in Southeast Asian, South Asian, and African states, which mainly involve Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Nigeria, and give some useful policy suggestions to reduce the debt burden and promote the socioeconomic development in these countries.

This edited book aims to present a well-balanced view on the heated debate about BRI’s “debt trap” controversy within the route states by presenting compelling evidence from Asian and African countries. It is contributed by the university scholars, think tank experts, and governmental officials from the concerned parties such as China, USA, South/Southeast Asia, and Africa to discuss this new topic from their perspectives. It not only examines the origins and changes in external debt among the BRI route states before and after the launch of the BRI, but also analyzes the outcomes stemming from BRI projects. The book covers 12 chapters, in which the first chapter briefly introduces the aims and scope of this book. The following 2 chapters look at Chinese and Indian perspectives on the “debt trap”, respectively. The next 9 chapters examine the debt issue and BRI projects in Southeast Asian, South Asian, and African states, which mainly involve Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Nigeria, and give some useful policy suggestions to reduce the debt burden and promote the socioeconomic development in these countries.

This edited book aims to analyze the domestic politics and foreign relations of the country after the Taliban regained power in August 2021. It touched upon the key issues affecting the Taliban regime, such as peace talks, terrorism threats, BRI cooperation, and the policies of the great powers and neighboring countries toward the new regime in Afghanistan. It makes a significant contribution by incorporating various viewpoints from government officials, university scholars, and think tank experts from China, Japan, and South Asian states. The broad approach and extensive coverage of all relevant countries make this book a valuable resource for more than just a specific academic community. It appeals to a diverse readership, including academics, policymakers, journalists, and general readers. The main content of the book is divided into ten chapters, in which the first chapter briefly introduces the aims and scope of this book. The following 3 chapters look into the domestic politics in Afghanistan. These mainly include the Afghan peace negotiations, the challenge of the Taliban regime, and the security threats and regional response under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The next 6 chapters examine US's Afghan policy, China-Afghanistan relations, and Russia, India, Pakistan, Japan’s engagement with Afghanistan.