Dean, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo, Akio Takahara delivered a lecture on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at the University of Colombo on 2 October. He was speaking on the invitation of the Private Foreign Policy institute the Pathfinder Foundation. He described the complex relations China has with its neighbors and the other superpower.
He said “The Belt and Road initiatives can be very costly for the receiving countries. Some people talk of a debt trap. BRI you must understand is not aid, it is business. The interest rates are very high if you borrow money for a project. That distinction between the governance system from countries like Europe and Japan are different in nature from the BRI. Be very aware of the difference when you go into projects.”
He added “For many countries, you have no alternative. You have to rely on money from China whatever the interest rates are. In some circles, people criticize the BRI. Promised projects have not been realized. They are not so happy about the implementation process. Whenever it is realized it is great. They help recipient countries in a big way.”
Takahara described Japans relationship with China as being complex. He likened international military alliances to constellations with individual countries capable of being part of a multiple alliances. He said “we compete with China but we do co-operate. There are so many Chinese visiting Japan over 8 million Chinese. If you focus on the economic concept the two constellations can overlap.”
Takahara cited territorial claims, construction in disputed territories, and the harassment of fishing lessons as being aggressive behavior by the Chinese state. He said “In 2008 the Chinese sent their coast guard vessels into territorial waters that were controlled by the Japanese for over 100 years. After 2012 the frequency and number of boats have increased so much. We are wondering why the Chinese are doing this. We think the Chinese were waiting for the opportunity to come.”
He said China disrespected international rulings. He said “The Hague international tribunal came up with a ruling in between Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
0 comments: