Sino-Omani Relations in the Age of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Win-Win Opportunity for the Sultanate?

Contenu

Titre

Sino-Omani Relations in the Age of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Win-Win Opportunity for the Sultanate?

Créateur

Printsmith, Callum Voir tous les contenus avec cette valeur

Date

2019

Dans

Afkar: The Undergraduate Journal of Middle East Studies Voir tous les contenus avec cette valeur

Résumé

First announced in 2013, China’s plan to revive the ancient Silk Road and ocean trade routes under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been described as the “project of the century.” Due to its geographic position, stable governance, and diplomatic neutrality, Oman has come to play a key role in the BRI. Nevertheless, the Sultanate has often been overlooked by scholarship and has featured somewhat as an afterthought, especially compared to the studies of Chinese relationships with regional heavyweights, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this context, this article explores Oman’s role in the BRI initiative, and critically evaluates the potential impact of Chinese developments on Oman’s national sovereignty and socio-economic development. It argues that Oman stands to gain much from the transforming Sino-Omani friendship and potentially achieve a win-win outcome, largely due to Oman’s unique bargaining position in comparison to other countries involved in the BRI. The article begins by offering an introduction to the BRI and discussing the scope of the project. It then moves on to contextualize Chinese investments in Oman within a longer history of economic relationships between the Sultanate and China. Finally, it examines the pros and cons of Oman’s increasing entanglement with China and asks to what extent the BRI can be strategically leveraged by the Sultanate.

Langue

eng

volume

1

numéro

1

pages

21-31

Printsmith, Callum, “Sino-Omani Relations in the Age of the Belt and Road Initiative: A Win-Win Opportunity for the Sultanate?”, 2019, bibliographie, consulté le 7 septembre 2024, https://ibadica.org/s/bibliographie/item/23608