Impact of China's OBOR strategy : the impact of China's belt and road initiative - key challenges on ports in Asia

China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), previously termed as the “One Belt One Road” (OBOR), is aimed at the growth of China, with the growth of the economy and regions around China. The recent slowdown in China’s growth is due to slowing consumption, leaving China with excess capacity and a declining manufacturing sector. The BRI is President Xi Jinping’s way of reigniting the demand and consumption in China, as well as establishing growth and trade relations across the world. The BRI is expected to pump Chinese products and demand to foreign markets, as well as to secure resources to China, and both thereby inducing growth and trade. The BRI is an infrastructure project, and hence the investments and development of ports in the region serve as crucial nodes for the facilitation and enhancement of trade, and as a result, produce alternative trade routes to serve China and the world. This paper seeks to understand the dynamics and intricacies of the BRI and its impact on ports in Asia, including Singapore, taking into account various political, economical and social considerations.Bachelor of Science (Maritime Studies