Prof. Shabir Ahmad Khan
Area Study Centre (Russia, China & Central Asia) University of Peshawar
The organised, harmonised and coordinated cooperation inter and intra regionally has been termed as trans-regional integration. The aim and objective of regional integration is always to enable developing regional countries to compete successfully and efficiently in the global economic system. Regional integration i.e. harmonization and coordination of political and economic policies can only be achieved when cross border connectivity infrastructure is developed. It is here that the roles of BRI and CPEC come to centrality by developing cross border connectivity infrastructure inter and intra-regionally. Regional integration is a multi-dimensional states led process and therefore political will of regional states is vital in this regard.
The idea of control over integration processes seems to be central to the entire spectrum of major powers competition in the region. The three plans of integration i.e. USA’s New Silk Road announced in 2007, Russia’s Eurasian Union (2012) and China’s Belt and Road announced in 2013 are competitive as well as cooperative at times. USA focused on the development of software i.e. transit agreements and custom policies instead of hard ware development that is connectivity infrastructure due to financial crunch. The aim was to have control over the integration of Central and South Asia via Afghanistan. Russia, in post-Crimea period looking in the Eastern and South-eastern direction for strategic and economic partners. Eurasian Economic Union focusing on Central Asian region and to ultimately have control over the integration of Central and South Asian region via Afghanistan. China’s BRI has larger compass, been focusing on the development of cross border connectivity infrastructure facilitating trans-regional integration across Asia, Africa and Europe through its two components, Belt and Road. CPEC as a flagship project of BRI has to play roles in both of its components. Through Kashgar, CPEC has role in Belt which is the over-land connectivity from China to Europe via Central Asia and Russia while through Gwadar it has to play important role in Road which is Maritime connectivity from China to Gulf and Europe.
The vast contiguous landmass from Russia, Western China, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan up to Iran, criss-crossed by mighty rivers and high mountains, possessing world’s largest hydrocarbon resources and producing most wanted agrarian products like cotton and grain constitutes ideal case for inter and intra-regional integration. The context is regionalism, connectivity and economic growth by plugging infrastructure gape across this vast contiguous landmass for the sole aim of shared growth and peace promotion. Regional states face identical problems of socio-economic under-development mainly due to lack of regional integration and resultantly isolated and fragmented markets. Open regionalism is the way forward for regional states to address the issues of socio-economic under-development by transforming the natural resources into inclusive development through linking demand and supply markets inter and intra-regionally. Regional integration based on open regionalism does not impose any restrictions or protectionist measures on non-regional or non-member states’ access to markets of regional states and vice-versa. Open regionalism therefore means coordinated integration into global economic system for regional states rather than collective retreat from the world economy. This kind of regional integration is sectoral/project or activity based through bilateral, trilateral and multi-lateral regional integration arrangements. These bilateral or multi-lateral grouping pertaining to a specific project or sector/activity remains open for joining by other regional or extra-regional states. A single country can join or become part of various regional arrangements simultaneously.
The forthcoming two day international conference titled “BRI, CPEC and Trans-Regional Integration” organised jointly by Area Study Centre for Russia, China & Central Asia, University of Peshawar, the Embassy of People’s Republic of China, Islamabad, Centre for Global and Strategic Studies Islamabad, CPEC Centre, Islamabad and Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar on 11th and 12th September, 2019 is going to provide a platform to discuss ways and means for enhancing economic, political, academic and cultural engagements inter and intra regionally. One of the aims is to have deliberations on expediting the process of inter and intra-regional integration through already established regional integration arrangements such as APTTA, IPI or IPC, CPEC, TAPI, CASA etc. The main question is that whether it is economic, strategic or political interests that dominate the process of integration when it comes to shaping national preferences by regional states. Obviously there are geo-political and security interests/issues that have been impeding the process of regional integration in this part of the world. These issues are mainly due to the competing and conflicting interests of major powers and due to the phenomenon of Layover. Nevertheless the regional states have realised that organised regional cooperation is the only panacea to arrest the process of marginalization and under-development of the regional countries. Importantly regional cooperation is the only way to materialise the notion of ‘Asian Century’.
