Riding the Silk Road – Discord and cooperation along the maritime route

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has stirred up a wide range of reactions along its planned routes, including some security concerns. In southern Pakistan, for example, the deep-sea port of Gwadar has been redeveloped under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, linking the BRI’s planned land and sea routes. Some voices are expressing caution about the possible dual-use of the facility as a naval base, potentially upsetting the balance of power in the region. 

The security implications of the maritime segment of the BRI in South Asia and the Horn of Africa was the subject of a regional workshop held in Yangon in February by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and co-hosted by the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS).

Click here to read the full photo reportage on the official website for the work of FES in Asia