Abstract
Building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Ports, Industrial Clusters, and the Export of the China Model of Development
April A. Herlevi, CNAA key component of China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is the use of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to build port infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This paper begins by showing how China’s domestic industrialization experience shaped the behavior of Chinese SOEs. China’s SOEs are distinct from U.S. and European firms, and within China, they are less productive than other firms. These factors influence how port projects are pursued under BRI. The paper illustrates these patterns with a set of cases and shows how industrial clusters evolve. Systematic analysis of China’s SOEs allows scholars to evaluate the political economy of development and assess the value of maritime industrial clusters. For policymakers, this analysis provides tools to assess when and where China’s infrastructure-led development projects could be effective (or not) and thus to better understand the implications of development under BRI.
Return to the Research Agenda