China’s Provinces and the Belt and Road Initiative

253 Pages·2021·2.169 MB·English

by  Dominik Mierzejewski

‘An excellent book on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from a Polish/East
European perspective examining China’s domestic dynamics, namely central-
provincial relationship. This is a must-read for any scholar who is interested in
this subject.’
– Quansheng Zhao, Professor of International Relations,
American University, Washington, DC, USA
‘Mierzejewski breaks new ground in scholarship on China’s major connectivity
initiative, the “Belt and Road”, by engaging in detailed case studies of the roles
played by provinces, in the process shedding light on politics and policy making
in the Chinese state and its global implications.’
– Tim Summers, Assistant Professor,
Chinese University of Hong Kong
‘ Dominik Mierzejewski’s analysis of the role of China’s provinces in the Belt and
Road Initiative is an important and innovative study of the role sub-national actors
play in both domestic economic development and foreign paradiplomacy and
qualifies the common perception of Beijing’s macro-management of both ambits.
Discourse analysis of provincial-level party and government reports demonstrate
how their competition abroad with the support of central government resources
also promotes domestic horizontal integration, contributing to the governance and
management of China’s unitary status.’
– Seán Golden, Full Professor (Retired) of East Asian Studies,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)

China’s Provinces and the Belt
and Road Initiative
This book discusses the Belt and Road Initiative at the provincial level in China.
It analyses the evolution of the role of local governments in Chinese foreign
policy since the opening of China’s economy in 1978, showing how the provinces
initially competed with each other, and how the central government was forced to
react, developing more centralised policies. Unlike other books on the Belt and
Road Initiative, which focus on the international aspects of the initiative, this book
demonstrates the importance of the Belt and Road in reinforcing China’s unitary
status and for managing and coordinating development at the local level as well
as centre-province relations and province-to-province relations inside China.
D ominik Mierzejewski is Associate Professor at the Department of Asian
Studies, Faculty of International and Political Studies and Chair of the Centre for
Asian Affairs at the University of Lodz, Poland. He specialises in the politics and
foreign policy of China.
China Policy Series
Series Editor: Zheng Yongnian
Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies,
Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)
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6 0 Development and Poverty Reduction
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6 3 The Decline of the Western-Centric World and the Emerging New
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Contending Views
Edited by Yun-han Chu and Yongnian Zheng
6 4 China’s Provinces and the Belt and Road Initiative
Dominik Mierzejewski
F or more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/China-
Policy-Series/book-series/SECPS
China’s Provinces and the Belt
and Road Initiative
Dominik Mierzejewski
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Dominik Mierzejewski
The right of Dominik Mierzejewski to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-65488-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-65490-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-12970-7 (ebk)
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Contents
Acknowledgements viii
L ist of abbreviations ix
L ist of illustrations xii
Introduction 1
1 Understanding the Belt and Road Initiative through
central-local perspectives 6
2 The bridgeheads’ actions under the BRI: Heilongjiang
and Yunnan case studies 55
3 Sichuan and Chongqing: internal integration, Eurasian
land bridge and foreign policy 113
4 Guangdong and Hainan: urbanisation, maritime economies
and strategic encounters under the Maritime Silk Road 172
Conclusions 229
Index 236
Acknowledgements
During field studies across China, the author met many friendly people who
helped in his understanding of China’s centre-province relations as presented in
this book. The author is also particularly grateful to scholars from Nankai Univer-
sity, the Zhou Enlai School of Government, Professor Zhu Guanglei, Professor
Yang Long and Doctor Zhang Zhihong whose insights and conversations brought
new light to my understanding of contemporary China. Moreover, talks and semi-
nars jointly organised between the Zhou Enlai School of Government and the
Center for Asian Affairs at the University of Lodz have developed a platform for
discussing local government action both in the domestic and international arena.
Needless to say, conversations with my Polish Chinese Studies’ teachers, namely
Professor Jan Rowiński, HE Ambassador Ksawery Burski and Professor Krzysz-
tof Gawlikowski, who all know China through the Great Leap Forward, the Cul-
tural Revolution and Deng Xiaoping’s, Jiang Zemin’s and Hu Jintao’s policies,
contributed most to my understanding of the Middle Kingdom.
National Science Center funds allowed the author to make fields studies in
China where the author gained practical knowledge about centre-province rela-
tions, horizontal relations between provincial-level governments and their vertical
and horizontal interactions within the Belt and Road Initiative. This book would
not have been possible without the financial support of the National Science Cen-
ter in Poland with regard to the research project ‘The Role of Local Governments
in China’s Foreign Policy’ (no. UMO2017/25/B/HS5/02117).
Abbreviations
General
BCIM EC Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor
B RI the Belt and Road
B RICS Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (organisation)
CAFTA China-ASEAN Free Trade Area
C CPIT China Council for the Promotion of International Trade
C EPA the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement with Hong Kong
C IIS China Institute for International Studies
C NOOC China National Offshore Oil Corporation
C NPC China National Petroleum Corporation
C PC the Communist Party of China
C PEC China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
C RM EC China-Russia-Mongolia Economic Corridor
F YP the Five-Year Plan
G BA the Greater Buy Area
G MS Greater Mekong Subregion
G PRD Greater Pan River Delta
J CCN Joint Committee on Coordination of Commercial Navigation
on Lancang-Mekong River
M FAPRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China
M OFCOM Ministry of Commerce
M RC the Maritime Silk Road
N DRC the National and Reform Commission
N PC the National Peoples’ Congress
N RPC National Reconciliation and Peace Center (in Myanmar)
P RC People’s Republic of China
P RCGov the People’s Republic of China Government
P RD the Pearl River Delta
R CEP the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
R MDZ Ruili-Muse Demonstration Zone
S ASAC the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration
Commission of the State Council