This thesis examines the role of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Gateway by adopting an economic statecraft perspective. This analysis leads to the conclusion that these two...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Gateway by adopting an economic statecraft perspective. This analysis leads to the conclusion that these two connectivity initiatives are significantly contributing to the proliferation of protectionism and supranational capitalism within the European Union. Consequently, they are influencing the broader Liberal International Economic Order. By utilizing a qualitative methodological approach, I argue for the emergence of a new political-economic paradigm, which I term neo-ordoliberalism.Show less