This research is concerned with the dynamics of infrastructure investments between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Japan’s Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (PQI). It explores the...Show moreThis research is concerned with the dynamics of infrastructure investments between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Japan’s Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (PQI). It explores the past and present political and economic relationship between the two countries, how both initiatives came into being, and contextualizes them within the contentious political relations between the two countries. Where most literature on the topic adopts a zero-sum confrontational approach, this research uses a comparative case study analysis and explores the overlapping strategies, seeking whether competition or cooperation is present in Japanese and Chinese infrastructure investments. As the BRI has received more attention in recent years, the primary focus of this research is thus on Japan’s PQI. Furthermore, it answers the question if cooperation is viable, depending on either party’s interests. The cases discussed are primary regions in the formulations of both the BRI and PQI and include Pakistan, the Greater Mekong subregion, and Kenya. Based on the findings of this research it concludes that cooperative outcomes are possible through the initiatives’ complementarity and by making use of both country’s comparative advantages in the recipient countries. Comparative advantages mainly present themselves by China’s large-scale, risky, and high investments vis-à-vis Japan’s technical knowledge and cost-benefit assessments. Competition is in turn rarely evident, but the potential for aligning the two initiatives remains untapped.Show less
The thesis investigated if the Chinese Belt Road Initiative has brought changes in trade and investment to the economies of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Quantitative data was collected from a myriad of...Show moreThe thesis investigated if the Chinese Belt Road Initiative has brought changes in trade and investment to the economies of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Quantitative data was collected from a myriad of resources to compare the levels of trade and investment between 2010-2018. Overall, BRI has not brought changes to the economies as world affairs are a much stronger force that affect the countries and their ability to grow and develop.Show less
The exponential increase in Chinese investments abroad since the 2008 financial crisis, along with the idiosyncratic characteristics associated with Chinese investment, has led to policy debates in...Show moreThe exponential increase in Chinese investments abroad since the 2008 financial crisis, along with the idiosyncratic characteristics associated with Chinese investment, has led to policy debates in many developed economies around the world. This thesis conducts a discourse analysis of the policy debate on Chinese investments in key technologies in the European Union that started around 2016, led by the normative research question “Should the EU protect European key technologies from being acquired by Chinese entities through Foreign Direct Investment?". It analyses respectively the purpose of the actors involved (China and the EU); the (perceived) necessity of EU protection of key technologies from Chinese FDI; and the risks related to the protection of key technologies in the EU. In doing so, it provides an overview of the different discourses, building on theoretical insights from a wide range of literature: including on strategic thinking in the EU, and the drivers behind Chinese FDI for both firms and polities.Show less
