지정학적 관점에서 본 중국의 일대일로(一帶一路) 전략 고찰

Abstract

China's One Belt One Road Initiative has led to a the US-China struggle, despite of the fact that both countries normalized their diplomatic relations, maintained international cooperation for more than 40 years since 1972. One of the major perspectives is based on the view perceived as the US response to China's rise. And in recent years, the rise of China and the Russia-Ukraine war have been regarded as the revival of geopolitical variables. Geopolitical theory was used as a tool to protect or expand the interests of great powers until World War II, but it declined after the Cold War era. China became the world's second-largest economy through rapid economic growth and began to expand its influence around it through the Belt and Road Initiative, which I would like to consider from a geopolitical point of view. The One Belt One Road Initiative started with the aim of securing new growth engines for China's economy, securing stable energy, and expanding economic territory, and expanding strategic objectives such as responding to U.S. checks and strengthening maritime power. Ten years later, the driving force of the Initiative has weakened due to strengthening US checks, concerns from neighboring countries, and excessive debt from participating countries, but with the participation of many countries, it has achieved results such as port construction, infrastructure construction, trade expansion, and overseas expansion of financial institutions. Evaluating this from a geopolitical point of view, China has secured a heart area and connected the surrounding areas of the One Belt, One Road to some extent, but has not established friendly relations with major countries such as India and Europe. In addition, although the maritime advancement is expanding from outside, it is being checked by island countries and continental islands such as the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia, which are maritime forces. Nevertheless, China will continue to push for the construction of an economic community on the Silk Road on land and securing transportation routes and ports on the Silk Road on the sea, and the Belt and Road Initiative will affect new changes in the international order amid the interaction between China and the United States. Therefore, Korea should make a careful strategic decision in consideration of this geopolitical situation.