MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA AS A PART OF CHINESE STRING OF PEARLS STRATEGY
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA AS A PART OF CHINESE STRING OF PEARLS STRATEGY

Summary/Abstract: Launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the One Belt, One Road initiative (OBOR), which consists of land (EBSR) and sea routes (MSR), aims to connect Asia and Europe through the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. The MSR strategy focuses on creating Chinese strongholds or “naval posts” with military or geopolitical influence along the Indian Ocean littoral, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea, called a “String of Pearls” - similar to the “Dual Use Logistics Facility”. It is related to Beijing’s need for geostrategic security of the “choke points” and maritime [oil and trade] routes critical of its development and based on China’s need to establish an increased level of influence and advanced presence along the sea routes through the use of investment, port development, economic, political, diplomatic and military means. China hopes to contribute to strengthening regional security on the southern gateway from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world’s biggest shipping lanes and a pivotal part of the MSR. Today the Chinese energy security policy has been militarized by creating a navy and deploying troops to protect and implement energy and infrastructure projects in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is an important hub for the two OBOR routes due to its strategic location at the intersection of land and sea roads connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, and the three most important economic maritime regions: the South China Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean Sea.

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