Leiden University Student Repository

Zhou Chen, Renato (2024)

Chinese Geoeconomic Strategy in Vietnam: A Study in the Belt and Road Initiative and Economic Coercion as a Geopolitical Tool

Master thesis | Political Science (MSc)

Vietnamese modern history has always been in opposition to China’s economic and geopolitical interests, rejecting further encroachment upon their economy for their geopolitical independence. In spite of this opposition, Vietnam joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s development project that serves as their geoeconomic tool to gain further influence upon its members. I theorise that Vietnam was coerced into entering the BRI against its interest by two main factors: Chinese firms’ economic dominance over Vietnam, and Vietnam's unreliable trade partners. With a focus on the causal mechanisms and the causal link that drove this event to happen, this paper will use process tracing as the method of research. Through this research, I seek to expand upon the underexplored academic gap of a least likely case against Chinese geoeconomic encroachment.

China, geoeconomics, Vietnam, Belt and Road Initiative

Author

Zhou Chen, Renato

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

International Politics

Supervisors

Christina L. Toenshoff

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en