Chinese Governance in the Belt and Road Initiative

Authors: Hussain Ghaheri, Amir Mohammad Esmaeili and Meysam Baharlu

Cooperation between Iran and China cannot be achieved in a vacuum, and it will not take shape simply with a political agreement between elites. This becomes clear when we look at China’s design and groundwork in other target countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. This design requires not only political elites but also academic and university elites from the target country to be involved, just as the public opinion of the people of the target country and its media are important. In the next step, the business community is important as a foundation for cooperation, which gives reality to cooperation. The researchers in this study have tried to explain comprehensively and concisely the design of Beijing in the path of achieving the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative for the Iranian elite so that it can be useful for the Islamic Republic of Iran to better benefit from it.

1. Chinese Design in the Belt and Road Initiative

As Chinese officials and scholars from many countries have repeatedly pointed out, the Belt and Road Initiative is one of the most important policies of the Xi Jinping administration and a major economic project that covers 26 countries and regions. According to available information, this plan covers about 70% of the Chinese diaspora (Zhang, 2017, p. 50). With the assumption that this grand strategy is “not only a path to economic development but also an opportunity to expand the activities of PRC on a global scale,” the Communist Party has committed itself to creating a “zone of friendship” with the outside world (Lin, 2018, p. 26). In 2015, the party ordered its departments at lower levels to focus their energy on the following three missions:

1.1. Collecting information and suggestions for policy-making

In September 2015, the official website of the Communist party announced that the agency had begun organizing research teams and surveys to assess investment opportunities for the Belt and Road Initiative. This team, composed of leading experts, academics, and entrepreneurs, was sent to regions related to the initiative, such as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This was the first effort of the work department in this direction, and the department’s research programs continue.

2.1. Economic Cooperation between Participating Countries in the Belt and Road Initiative

Since 2004, the Returned Scholars Association (RSA) has held the Global Strategy Forum for Chinese Companies (GSFC) to promote the globalization of Chinese traders and companies (Gao, 2018, 48). From the 13th meeting in 2014 to the 16th meeting in 2017, the topics of the conventions were all related to the Belt and Road Initiative. In the last conference, the number of participants reached about 700 people, who were prominent figures in global business and other disciplines from many countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Russia, as well as participating countries in the Belt and Road Initiative such as Kazakhstan.

3.1. Creating a Favorable International Environment through Publicity and Personnel Exchange

In the field of public diplomacy, soft power, and hard power, the Communist party has called on non-party religious elites in China to support and join the party’s policies and Publicity. This is because most participating countries in the Belt and Road Initiative suffer from the challenge of ethnic and religious complexities. In the opinion of Communist Party officials, mobilizing China’s religious people has the power to persuade religious people in other countries of the mutual benefits of the Belt and Road and to increase their understanding through religious cultures.

Similarly, Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee has launched a program to create the Belt and Road Universities Federation to further strengthen joint research, human resources development, and faculty exchange with research institutions in Zhejiang and its counterparts in participating countries (Yang, 2016, p. 85).

In addition to the defined missions, some of which were discussed in the previous section, the Communist party has also defined target groups and appropriate methods of influence for each one. Some of these are discussed below.

In recent years, Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative has been so prominent in China’s discourse and overseas activities that it is almost impossible to distinguish it from China’s overall foreign policy. Beijing has announced that the goal of this initiative is to increase economic well-being through the creation of physical links around the world, but Western researchers believe that the real goal of this strategy is not to create infrastructure, but to create a new global order in which China thrives, challenges America’s hegemonic power, and rules over it (Rolland, 2017). In other words, these researchers argue that the Belt and Road strategy is a springboard for achieving the “Chinese dream of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and not mutually beneficial and win-win economic cooperation. Therefore, the task of the Communist Party’s Departments in this grand strategy is to manage an effective campaign to influence the Chinese Communist Party along this strategy and then around the world (Rolland, 2019).

The Chinese Communist Party has been trying to counter Western propaganda and increase its soft power in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, the target groups of the Communist Party’s Department in the Belt and Road Strategy are international media, universities, and businesses that should be considered. In this regard, a set of specific platforms related to “Belt and Road cooperation” has been created for each one.

1. Media and Support for the Belt and Road Initiative

Chinese media are used by the party to spread a benevolent and positive narrative of the Belt and Road Initiative through various methods controlled by the Central Publicity Department. On this basis, three categories of media can be categorized (Gitter, 2017):

• The first category includes print media that publishes government-related information in foreign languages, including China Daily. This information is sometimes republished in famous international publications such as The Washington Post and The Telegraph under the title “China Watch,” which can help to popularize the initiative overall.
• The second category includes visual media, including film production, video clips, television stations, and radio stations. In the run-up to the May 2017 International Belt and Road Forum, video clips were produced that showed, among other things, English-speaking children singing songs in praise of the Belt and Road. CCTV also began airing a series of documentaries in 2016 that showcased the Belt and Road’s impressive achievements around the world.
• The third category includes digital media such as websites and social media (including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube), which are not allowed in China. A Xinhua website specifically dedicated to Belt and Road-related news was launched in March 2017 and its content is available in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian. There are also many active Twitter accounts that praise and share news about the achievements of this strategy. Chinese young diplomats are also active on social media and share influential content among their target countries.

In addition to the usual international dissemination techniques, the Central Publicity Department has identified the media capacities of different countries and pursued common cooperation topics under the Belt and Road. Media cooperation plays an important role in presenting positive images to the participating countries in this strategy. The goal of direct contact with foreign journalists and media is to create and nurture a community of friends to define common ground to publish Chinese-made or jointly produced content through local media.

Some of the cooperation that China has defined in the media sphere of the Belt and Road Initiative are as follows:

1.2. Belt and Road Media Cooperation Alliance

This alliance was launched in April 2016 by the State Council Information Office. The goal of this media alliance is to pool resources, encourage the production of joint programs, and jointly publish, market, and present “credible, accurate, inspiring, and engaging Belt and Road narratives.” As of March 2017, 43 global media organizations have joined, most of which are media companies and television channels from developing countries along the Belt and Road, but some other major media outlets such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Channel News Asia have also joined.

In addition to the media content made available to members of this alliance, scholarships and training programs have also been allocated for journalists from Belt and Road countries. For example, the “Dong Fang Scholarship Program” is jointly hosted by China Daily, Shanghai International Studies University, and the International Business and Economics University, and is sponsored by China Eastern Airlines. For example, in 2018, editors and senior journalists from 12 Belt and Road countries participated in a 26-day training program to “gain a full understanding of China’s development in the new era.”

2.2. Belt and Road Media Cooperation Associations

From 2014, the People’s Daily has launched four “Belt and Road Media Cooperation Associations” that include more than 460 journalists from 126 countries. In this regard, Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the participants of the 2016 conference, which demonstrates its political importance for the Communist Party of China. He wrote in his letter that the media “play an irreplaceable role in disseminating information, mutual trust, and consensus … I hope that the media in different countries will make good use of this platform to play an active role in building the Belt and Road.” (Defang, 2015)

Yang Zhenwu, the editor-in-chief of the People’s Daily, also stated that the goal of the association will be to “develop an information superhighway, break down barriers, expand the circle of friends, and form a cultural concentric circle.” During the September 2017 conference, Yang announced the launch of the “One Belt and Road Media Cooperation Center” and the “Cross-border Joint Reporting Project” with the aim of “strengthening cooperation between domestic and international media along the Belt and Road.” (People’s Daily, 2017) Memoranda of understanding and joint statements have been signed with 36 media from 26 countries under this framework.

3.2. Belt and Road News Alliance

The Belt and Road News Alliance, an idea that originated from the State Council and the Communist Party in April 2016, was first launched by CCTV during the Belt and Road Forum in May 2017. The alliance’s mission is to “assist key media organizations in countries along the Belt and Road.” It initially consisted of 63 members from 35 countries, and its membership has gradually increased.

However, the alliance was not very active for the next two years and was reborn under the name “Belt and Road News Network” at the second Belt and Road Forum in April 2019. The network aims to serve as a platform for information sharing, exchanges and cooperation, news distribution, and content dissemination among media along the Belt and Road. As a result, its membership increased to 182 members from 86 countries.

Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the inaugural council meeting of the network, which was read by the head of the Central Publicity Department, Huang Kunming.

It should be noted that when new platforms for international media cooperation cannot achieve the desired goals of deepening cooperation and creating a favorable image of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Central PublicityDepartment uses existing international forums to gather potential media partners. For example, during the 2017 Asian Media Forum in Qingdao, Liu Yandong stressed in her opening remarks that “media cooperation is an important part of deepening regional cooperation and cooperation in projects such as the Belt and Road.”

3. Universities and research centers for the Belt and Road Initiative

In his speech at the Warsaw Belt and Road Forum in June 2016, Xi Jinping called on think tanks and research institutes to play a “leading role” in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, a “consultant and assistant role” to the government in policy planning and designing appropriate mechanisms, and “bridge building” between the political level and public opinion. Many new Belt and Road-related research centers have also been established in universities and think tanks in China to raise awareness of Belt and Road countries and support the policies of the central leadership of the party. (Li, 2017) International cooperation has also been largely developed under the supervision of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese Center for Contemporary World Studies serves as the national secretariat for the development of outreach activities for research conducted in think tanks and research centers in Belt and Road countries.

It appears that the goals of new university cooperation frameworks along the Belt and Road Initiative can be summarized into three major areas:

• First, similar to what was discussed in the previous section, the target audience of journalists and the media community,  is aimed at influencing and shaping the perceptions of intellectuals in the destination country; so that they analyze the Belt and Road as a positive and profitable plan, not a threat.
• Second, access to knowledge, skills, and technologies under study in research centers and laboratories of foreign universities.
• Third, broader engagement in the global education system (especially in developing countries and along the Belt and Road) as a long-term effort to shape and influence how the next generation of local elites are educated and create new research norms and regulations.

Some of these bilateral or multilateral cooperation frameworks between the Communist Party and its departments to influence academic and research communities in the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative include:

• Silk Road Think Tank Network (SRTN): This network is one of the six members of the “Global Coalition of Think Tanks for South-South Cooperation” that was jointly launched by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation in 2016 (CPC News, 2016).
• International Research and Development Institute (IRDI): China and Pakistan launched this institute in 2015 for bilateral research cooperation. According to a press release issued by the Islamabad office of the China Pakistan Institute, the newly established “International Research and Development” think tank will have two co-chairs. Madame Zhao Baige, a former minister and currently a member of parliament and vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, and Senator Mushahid Hussain are the heads of this research institute.
• Belt and Road Studies Network (BRSN): This network was designed and established to monitor and track international think tanks during the Second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on April 24, 2019, with 16 founding members.
• Silk Road University Alliance (SRUA): It was launched by Xi’an Jiaotong University on May 22, 2015, on the sidelines of an education cooperation exhibition for countries along the Silk Road and initially included 20 universities from 22 countries.

• Silk Road Forensic Consortium: Although this consortium nominally serves as a platform for Chinese and foreign forensic experts to exchange views, its potential achievements go beyond simple academic exchanges among experts from Belt and Road countries. For example, at the third international conference of the consortium, member Professor Henry S. Lee stated that the consortium is seeking to “create a common DNA database to help solve criminal cases better” (Belt and Road Portal, 2018).
• Belt and Road University Alliance: This alliance was established on October 17, 2015, by Lanzhou University, Fudan University, Peking University, and Ural Federal University, Russia. It has expanded from 47 member universities from 8 countries to 126 universities from 25 countries and is increasing the scope of its international partnerships.

• 21st Century Maritime Silk Road University Consortium: The inaugural meeting of this consortium was held on October 20, 2018, hosted by Xiamen University. It is officially composed of 66 universities (including 36 Chinese universities) from 15 countries along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. A closer look at the member universities shows that membership is not based on geographic location, and countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea are participating members. The consortium is committed to developing international cooperation in the fields of personnel training and technological innovation, and to pioneering the implementation of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road development strategy (Xiamen University, 2017).
• It is worth noting that the list of Belt and Road university alliances is constantly growing. In addition to the few mentioned above, some alliances are specifically dedicated to a specific area, such as the Global Belt and Road Textile Universities Alliance, the International Belt and Road Architecture Universities Consortium, the Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance, and so on.
• Another goal of establishing these alliances is to encourage Chinese universities to “carry out continuous cooperation and exchanges with their counterparts in Belt and Road countries.” The gradual development of these international collaborations is also seen as a tool for deepening people-to-people relations along the Belt and Road and nurturing “potential supporters” in these countries (Ministry of Education, 2016). All of this will contribute to the success of the Belt and Road Strategy in the soft power dimension. In other words, the planned educational program is based on the same principles that guide other activities of the Party’s Department abroad: these collaborations are designed to encourage foreign researchers and scholars to support and promote China’s foreign policy goals in general and the Belt and Road Initiative in particular. Various institutions and organizations cooperate with Party’s Departments in advancing these goals, and in other words, advancing this policy is “the duty of all party-state-military institutions of the Communist Party of China” (Brady, 2019).
• In the case of educational cooperation, the title “Belt and Road” or “Silk Road” can be used as a marketing ploy that can attract new customers to engage with China on issues beyond education. We live in an era where the boundary between academic exchanges and the transfer of technical and industrial knowledge is blurred, especially as some Chinese commercial companies are also actively involved in a number of these university alliances. In the long term, Beijing’s efforts to standardize education along the Silk Roads could also redefine the future code of conduct followed by universities in the region, particularly their approach to data management, research integrity, ethics, open access, and academic freedom.

Belt and Road Business Community

Along with foreign media and the academic environment, the business community is also one of the targets of Beijing, which can be used to influence the cognitive environment of the international community and create a positive image of the Belt and Road Initiative. Of course, here, the Party is dealing with specific rules and norms that China is not unfamiliar with. In other words, the world of international companies has been cultivated for decades and has become accustomed to the promises of profitability that China’s vast market and its growing economy offer. Therefore, The Party can use different segments for its intended purposes. For example, it can use local business communities in the guise of lobbying groups that encourage their government representatives to support policies of engagement with China.

• Now, similar themes are emerging around the Belt and Road Initiative. For the business community around the world, the narrative about this strategy is generally one of a missed opportunity for profit. The goal of Communist Party is to ensure that Beijing’s messages about “peaceful intentions, the benefits of closer economic ties, the economic damage of non-cooperation” are conveyed to the international community and governments by “local faces and voices,” resulting in greater legitimacy for the Belt and Road Initiative (Hamilton & Joske, 2018).
• The expected results of the Party about the business community and economic sectors along the Belt and Road Initiative are divided into two categories: First, attracting foreign businesses to work on Belt and Road projects, especially in sectors where Chinese companies lack the necessary expertise (such as financial services or some specialized technology providers). Second, it nurtures local businessmen and prominent economic actors for greater access to politicians and senior officials of Belt and Road countries (Hála, 2019). The process of portraying cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative is carried out through several mechanisms, including the establishment of associations to promote international trade, Silk Road business councils, and Belt and Road chambers of commerce.

Silk Road Business Associations

Just as the “Belt and Road Unions” are committed to promoting international cooperation with journalists and academics along the Belt and Road, Silk Road business associations are actively working to bring together leading global businessmen and encourage them to cooperate with Chinese partners. Jerry Groot believes that “Chambers of Commerce provide an effective face for interacting with foreigners, while associations allow the Party’s Department to carefully manage the political aspects” (Groot, 2018). Here are some of these institutions and councils:

1. Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade [1]: According to published reports, this council was founded in the 1950s to be a tool for mobilizing international figures in support of trade cooperation with China. The goals of this council are described in two ways: 1) to convince merchants in non-communist countries that strategic trade sanctions against China’s allies are harmful to their interests, and 2) to develop trade relations with non-communist countries. (CIA Report, 1957) These goals have evolved since 1957, but this council plays an important role in influencing important foreign businessmen in matters related to trade and investment. With the rise to power of the fifth generation of Chinese elites, the task of this council has been defined as serving the goals of the Belt and Road and supporting business communities as “the driving force in promoting the Belt and Road.” The Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade also serves as the secretariat of the Chinese Chambers of Commerce.
2. International Silk Road Chamber of Commerce [2]: Among business associations, the International Silk Road Chamber of Commerce is one of the most active units, with 110 members from 75 countries on its website, forming “a community of common interests and common responsibilities that seeks a common future” with the goal of “building a bridge between companies and governments.” The university partners of this institution are Xi’an Jiaotong University, Northwest Polytechnical University, Northwest University, Chang’an University, and Shanxi University (SRCIC, 2019).
3. Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Alliance [3]: The Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Alliance actively encourages its international members from countries along the Belt and Road to “participate in this grand strategy, facilitate information sharing and project alignment, and link the Belt and Road Initiative with the China 2025 manufacturing strategy.” (China Daily,

Silk Road Business Associations

In addition to the “Belt and Road Unions” that are committed to promoting international cooperation with journalists and academics along the Belt and Road, Silk Road business associations are actively working to bring together leading global businessmen and encourage them to cooperate with Chinese partners. Here are some of these institutions and councils:

4. Belt and Road Alliance of International Chambers of Commerce [1]: The Belt and Road Alliance of International Chambers of Commerce consists of 36 domestic chambers of commerce and 35 foreign chambers of commerce. The international activities of this alliance seem to be much more limited than the International Silk Road Chamber of Commerce.
5. General Chamber of Commerce of the Belt and Road [2]: Building on the reputation and commercial position of Hong Kong, a group of Chinese and international investors launched the “General Chamber of Commerce of the Belt and Road” in 2017. The goal of the General Chamber of Commerce of the Belt and Road is to promote closer relations and trade between China and Southeast Asian countries through Hong Kong. Chinese officials have described the establishment of this chamber as a complement to the communications of the Belt and Road route.
6. World Belt and Road Association [3]: This association includes “chambers of commerce, industrial associations, investment promotion agencies, and various think tanks,” totaling 110 members from 29 countries around the world. The association has defined its mission as “supporting the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative through Hong Kong and by bringing together local and international organizations committed to this strategy and helping them to connect and create mutual business opportunities” (State Council Information Office, 2018).
7. International Silk Road Association [4]: This association is a branch of the “International Financial Forum” [5], which was founded in Beijing in 2003 with the mission of “creating regular dialogue and communication at the highest level and conducting research on global financial issues.” The International Silk Road Association was established during the annual conference of the International Financial Forum in 2016 and includes “former political leaders, experts, scientists, economic and financial institutions, and prominent entrepreneurs from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.” The association seeks to “strengthen mutual trust and create peace and cooperation, openness and inclusion, mutual learning and mutual benefit, and win-win results by promoting the “Silk Road spirit.” The International Silk Road Association intends to provide a mechanism to further strengthen non-governmental cooperation and dialogue by recognizing and reaching a consensus on the core values of the Belt and Road Initiative (Central Banking, 2018).

Conclusion

The People’s Republic of China has formulated a comprehensive strategy for its Belt and Road Initiative. This strategy involves information gathering, policy development, economic collaboration, and the establishment of favorable international conditions through the participation of media, universities, research centers, and the business community shared by the countries involved. What is crucial for the Islamic Republic of Iran is the extent it plays a role in this plan in alignment with its own interests within the Belt and Road Initiative.

To fully leverage the Belt and Road Initiative and maximize the benefits of the 25-year agreement with China, Iran should prioritize the establishment and promotion of essential collaboration infrastructures outlined in the aforementioned plan. One crucial infrastructure is the presence of shared research and academic institutions between Iran and China, which will contribute to achieving the following objectives:

• Joining the network of universities, research centers, and think tanks existing in various countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, Silk Road think tanks, Silk Road University Union, and the Network of Belt and Road Studies.
• Conducting shared field studies by Iranian and Chinese researchers to explore the potential for mutual collaborations based on field challenges and opportunities.
• Exchanging human resources in various academic fields to identify the capacities of both sides.
• Defining academic and research projects in various industries.
• Developing collaboration ideas between Iranian and Chinese universities in fields such as commerce, economics, management, etc.
• Providing policy recommendations to the private and public sectors in Iran and China.
• Studying the legal problems and challenges faced by businesspeople from both countries.
• Establishing a legal arbitration structure in both countries.
• Teaching and guiding Chinese commerce law to Iranian businesspeople.
• Teaching and guiding Iranian commerce law to Chinese businesspeople.

This collaboration aims to engage academic and political elites in Iran-China interactions. However, to ensure successful cooperation between the two countries, it is important to persuade public opinion, particularly in Iran, about the benefits of such collaboration for national interests. To achieve this, it is also necessary to have shared media platforms related to the Belt and Road Initiative, to accomplish the following objectives:

• Joining the international media network of the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Belt and Road News Union and Association of Belt and Road Media Collaboration.
• Persuading and informing the public, various social strata, and Iran’s private sector about the potential of Iran-China collaboration that align with the country’s national interests.
• Countering fake news and propaganda from adversary media by providing accurate and appealing information, and persuading the public through social networks, TV, satellite, and other media platforms.

In addition to academic and political elites and the public, another crucial target is the business community of the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese government has set its sights on establishing shared international structures through organizations such as the Belt and Road Union of International Chambers of Commerce, the Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Union, the Global Association of the Belt and Road, the Belt and Road General Chamber of Commerce, and the International Association of the Silk Road. Therefore, both the public and private sectors in Iran must identify ways to join these dedicated organizations and take appropriate action accordingly.

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