The Australian state of Victoria in the BRI

In October 2018, Australia’s Victoria state officially joined the BRI. Victoria’s prime minister Daniel Andrews and Cheng Jingye, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, signed a memorandum of understanding related to  the BRI.

In May 2017, Victoria’s premier  announced his intention to get involved in the BRI. The objective of the government of Victoria state is to increase its attractiveness to Chinese investors, and become the entry point for Chinese companies in Australia.

According to experts from the China’s NDRC, other Australian states may conclude similar agreements, in the absence of a partnership at the national level. The Australian government still does not agree to the Chinese infrastructure program.

Which agreement?

However, it should be remembered that this type of agreement is relatively vague, and not binding; it is mainly a declaration issued by a national or regional government which undertakes to strengthen  exchanges with China within the BRI framework. It is mainly a statement of intent. But these agreements still have some importance, because they give a spotlight on certain regions and can encourage the Australian government to fully engage in the BRI, something it has for now refuse.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to pay attention that this type of agreement does not create tensions between local administration and central power. Beijing must be careful not to offend state partners by entering into this kind of agreement with local governments.

The BRI and the European regions

Could European regions  also sign memoranda of understanding regarding the BRI? Not all European regions have the same degree of autonomy, and this kind of initiative may not be allowed in some states.

The European Union, like Australia, has not officially committed to the BRI, although some state members have already signed memoranda of understanding on this particular subject.

Many Europe regions have cooperation agreements with Chinese cities and provinces. These agreements are about culture (organization of events and meetings, academic exchanges), but these cooperationn agreements also further economic ties (with some business visits in China and Europe).

All Chinese provinces have implemented development strategies for the BRI,  European regions should seize this topic and work  with their Chinese partners on joint projects within the framework of the BRI.

Like the state of Victoria, European regions should seek to strengthen their exchanges with China, create initiatives related to the BRI, and thus encourage their respective government to formally join the Chinese project.

Regional cooperation within the BRI
Tagged on:                                 

2 thoughts on “Regional cooperation within the BRI

  • 21/04/2019 at 23:38
    Permalink

    LA SUISSE AUSSI S’APPRETE A ADHERER A BRI / OBOR (signature prévue pour les 28-29 avril à Pékin, dans le cadre du 2ème FORUM BRI/OBOR) …

    1) Signature suisse à présent confirmée par le lien suivant de ce 21 avril 2019 : https://www.portseurope.com/swiss-president-to-visit-china-with-finance-and-business-delegation/ : “(…) Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited Mr Maurer for a state visit on Sunday and Monday, 28 and 29 April. Mr Maurer will hold talks with the president and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. The visit is intended to further deepen the already very good relations between Switzerland and China. It is at this point that the abovementioned memorandum will be signed by state secretaries Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and Daniela Stoffel, director of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF).”

    2) Concernant le décompte le plus actualisé et précis des Etats membres de la zone OBOR/BRI, il semble aussi que les informations précédentes des méls précédents infra évoluent également très rapidement :

    Jusqu’à présent, on s’abritant sur le lien https://www.beltroad-initiative.com/memorandum-of-understanding-belt-and-road-initiative/ qui indiquait en novembre 2018 : “According to state-run Xinhua, so far, China has signed 123 cooperation documents on the Belt and Road development with 105 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the South Pacific region, and 26 such documents with 29 international organizations.”

    Désormais le décompte le plus actualisé possible à … 136 Etats adhérents, contenu dans le lien http://china-trade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative-Country-Profiles/obor/en/1/1X000000/1X0A36I0.htm semble le plus pertinent … Suisse comprise – cf. lien https://www.chine-magazine.com/la-suisse-integre-les-nouvelles-routes-de-la-soie/ … 136 Etats adhérents sur 197 Etats reconnus par l’ONU, soit un taux mondial apparent d’adhésion à BRI/OBOR de 69%.

    Cela signifie plus précisément : 12 Etats-membres de l’UE (avec la Grèce à présent) au sein du 17+1 CEEC (Europe centrale et de l’Est + Chine), plus Italie + Luxembourg = 14 Etats-membres UE “pro-BRI/OBOR sur 27 ou 28 (effet BREXIT ?), soit plus de 60% des Etats-membres de l’UE quand on rajoute encore l’Autriche,, Malte, le Portugal (17 Etats-membres UE sur 27 ou 28) …

    Et au sens du Conseil de l’Europe à Strasbourg (“Europe à 47”), il faut encore rajouter 13 Etats (dont Suisse, Russie, Turquie, Ukraine, Moldavie, Géorgie, Arménie, Azerbaïdjan …) soit 30 Etats sur 47 (= 64% du total) ; sachant encore que le Belarus est membre de la zone BRI sans être membre de l’UE ni du Conseil de l’Europe et que Monaco, membre du Conseil de l’Europe, a signé un “simple” accord de coopération “5 G / HUAWEI” en février 2019 …

    Au “grand total” théorique, on serait en fait à près de 67%, et cela en à peine plus de 5 ans depuis le lancement de BRI/OBOR en automne 2013 … – cf. liens de décompte http://china-trade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative/The-Belt-and-Road-Initiative-Country-Profiles/obor/en/1/1X000000/1X0A36I0.htm , https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/info/iList.jsp?cat_id=10076 .

    Bien à vous, demeurant à votre disposition,

    Christian VICENTY, expert NEW SILK ROADS, Chine, Russie Ukraine …

    Reply
    • 22/04/2019 at 13:57
      Permalink

      Merci pour ce commentaire.
      OBOReurope publiera prochainement un article sur la décision suisse de rejoindre la BRI.

      On peut aller plus loin dans votre analyse et affirmer que toute l’Europe travaille avec la Chine sur les nouvelles routes de la Soie. Lors du dernier sommet UE-Chine, l’UE et la Chine, dans leur déclaration conjointe, ont annoncé chercher à développer des synergies entre le programme européen de connectivité Europe-Asie et la BRI.
      Plus que les MoU, bien que mis en avant par la Chine et les médias (y compris OBOtreurope), il faut s’interroger sur le contenu et les réalisations de cette coopération entre la Chine et les autres états.
      Bien cordialement
      Sébastien Goulard
      consultant à Cooperans, et coordinateur d’OBOReurope

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*