THE EU-JAPAN CONNECTIVITY PARTNERSHIP – ROADWAYS AND ROADBLOCKS
Connectivity, including infrastructure development (âhard connectivityâ) as well as regulatory measures, the digital field, people-to-people ties, etc. (Ê»soft connectivityâ), is increasingly becoming an area of great-power competition. A key driver has been Chinaâs Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Estonian Academy Publishers
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Trames |
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| Online Access: | https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/TRAMES-3-2023-199-218_20230821135727.pdf |
| Summary: | Connectivity, including infrastructure development (âhard connectivityâ) as well as regulatory measures, the digital field, people-to-people ties, etc. (Ê»soft connectivityâ), is increasingly becoming an area of great-power competition. A key driver has been Chinaâs Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a large-scale project based on foreign investments and infrastructure development in third countries launched in 2014. This article zooms in on how the European Union and Japan have sought to propose an alternative model by creating a Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure in 2019. The article starts off by defining connectivity and elaborating on its link with geopolitics. It depicts connectivity as a theatre for both cooperation and competition, including by way of an analytical framework comprising six spheres and six logics. After sketching the synergies, complementarities and shared interests, the article surveys the EU-Japan partnershipâs progress on the ground. The concluding sections outline limitations and possible ways forward. |
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| ISSN: | 1406-0922 1736-7514 |