China’s Belt and Road and Maritime Silk Road initiatives: Chinese investments in commercial ports in Europe

This paper focuses on China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative and investments in commercial ports in Europe so as to explain why China is investing in these ports, to what extent the investments are dictated by security issues, attempts to gain political influence in the host countries or economic, above all commercial considerations and, finally, whether the findings have implications for the EU’s and the member states’ response. The analysis is based on a comparative case study of Chinese investments in the ports of Piraeus and Rotterdam using Robert Blackwill’s and Jennifer Harris’ geoeconomic analytical framework. The research shows that China’s objectives vary depending on the individual circumstances and characteristics of the host country and the port; political and economic in Piraeus but economic and commercial in Rotterdam. However, a more comprehensive understanding of China’s Maritime Silk Road strategy in Europe requires further research including a wider range of variables and actors