Interview: Institutionalized platforms needed for Europe to better interact with "Belt and Road": Dutch expert

Institutionalized platforms for debate at Europe Union (EU) level and national levels are needed for Europe to better interact with China-proposed "Belt and Road" (B&R) initiative, a Dutch expert has said.

Dr. Frans Paul van der Putten, senior researcher at The Netherlands Institute of International Relations "Clingendael", a leading Dutch think tank and diplomatic academy on international affairs, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua.

"The basic idea for B&R is to create an economic space for Eurasia and for Africa, to have more economic growth and more economic interconnections between the regions," the expert said.

In his opinion, instead of passively responding to what China proposes, Europe should look at the huge potential of the B&R from a bigger picture and try to take the initiative when interacting with the China-proposed initiative.

GREEK EXAMPLE

In a report entitled "China, Europe and the Maritime Silk Road" published in March this year, Clingendael researchers have already pointed out that how the B&R affects European interests depends in part on Europe's response.

The report took the port of Piraeus in Greece as a showcase of the significance of China's growing influence in Europe and regions close to Europe. By helping develop the Greek port, China played a decisive role in creating a new trade link between Central Europe and Asia via Greece and the Balkans, which, in turn, affects intra-European Union (EU) relations since it helps the Eastern European economies to move away from their peripheral role within the EU.

In the long term with an overall development of infrastructure in many other regions, while China will strengthen its already central role in terms of logistics and transportation, Europe will lose much of the centrality that it long held in these areas. But on the other hand, China's engagement can help economic development in Europe and its neighborhood, which contributes to EU' own growth and stability, according to the report.

"The financial crisis in Greece is a really good example. Most of the people focus on the financial side -- Greece has debt, it needs to be repaid. But we have to look at it in a different way -- if there is an opportunity to develop Greece as a logistical hub, we should not just leave it to the Greeks or just criticize Greece," Dr. van der Putten told Xinhua.

"We should think how to make it advantageous for other European countries as well. We should have a positive attitude towards this and see opportunities," he said.

LOOK BEYOND

In other cases where significant changes are taking place along with B&R, the Dutch researcher also advocated for a positive, proactive attitude with broader and long-term vision that will allow his country and Europe to support and benefit from China's initiative.

In Africa and Asia where Europe has important economic interests, "thinking should go beyond infrastructure and one's own region," said Dr. van der Putten. "The French example is a useful idea to make us think more about how to have three-sided relationships between Europe, Africa and China."

He referred to the agreement that China and France reached in July to work together on infrastructure and energy projects and introduce "new forms of co-contracting, co-production and co-financing", especially in Africa and Asia.

"Europe for quite some time has been looking at Chinese-African relations and has been wondering how to respond," commented Dr. van der Putten. "If you take this to a general level to include so for the Middle East, the Central Asia and other regions, this would be the most obvious formula to start with."

TAKE THE INITIATIVE

However, though the term of "Belt and Road" is now used by governments of various countries, much of the initiative is still coming from the Chinese side and many other countries are still passive, just responding but not taking the initiative, the Dutch expert noted.

"With its huge potential, many more things could be happening within the framework of the B&R. I think it opens the opportunity for other countries to put forward their own initiatives," he said.

In this regard, the Dutch researcher suggested that every country should have its own vision. "You have to know what is B&R, what it means for your country, what you want, what you don't want. It should be a sort of common idea for the stakeholders. They should have a national platform for debate. Then at least the government institutions have some idea of what direction to go."

Actually, the B&R research team at Clingendael is now working on the setup of a government-endorsed "Dutch B&R network", which brings ministries, research institutes and private sectors together for debate and initiatives.

Two months ago, the team has already launched "Silk Road Headlines", a news service which provides regular updates on news articles from open sources related to B&R.

"We want to create a common Dutch vision at national level. The second idea is to have a series of more focused meetings, such as on commercial, maritime, railway, financial or other dimension," explained Dr. van der Putten.

When more countries have acquired their own vision, talks could be held among national groupings or at continental level to discuss more coordinated initiatives, he said. Endit