GoJIL – Special Call on the One Belt – One Road Initiative
The One Belt – One Road Initiative (OBOR), also known as China’s New Silk Road, includes a large variety of infrastructure programs in numerous Eurasian and African States, proposed by the People’s Republic of China. It aims to enhance connectivity and cooperation across the Eurasian continent mainly through the construction of railways, highways, ports, airports, pipelines, etc., with China in a central role. At its largest extent, the OBOR would include 65 countries, 4.4 billion people, and 40 % of the global GDP. Considering its scale, the project even exceeds the dimensions of the post-war Marshall-Plan. This project could massively increase Chinese influence over Eurasia, as well as provide a chance for developing countries to benefit from its economic impact.
Projects of this magnitude naturally raise multiple legal and political questions.
For instance, could this be a chance to reduce global poverty or will it just intensify the dependence of developing countries on China? Will better infrastructure raise the standard of living, particularly regarding access to food and clean water, for the populations involved? What concerns are there for labor rights and property rights under international law? Who will be accountable for honoring these rights?
Furthermore, to what extent will international cooperation of this kind affect ongoing political conflicts? What are the effects of and on international law? How would the OBOR affect international trade and investment law? What influence will this have on the environment and the cultural heritage along this New Silk Road?
To shed light on the diverse aspects of the One Belt – One Road Initiative, we call for authors to submit papers on this topic. Submissions from an international law background as well as other disciplines such as international relations, economics, geography, etc. are welcome. Papers will be submitted to a double-blind peer review and should not exceed 15,000 words including footnotes. Selected contributions will be published in Issue 2 of Vol. 8. Our article guidelines can be found here and further information, including the submission option can be found here. All articles must be submitted until 15th of January 2018. In case of any questions feel free to contact the editors via email at info@gojil.eu.
