Table Of Content“Carolijn van Noort’s fascinating analysis of China’s deployment of the
Silk Road adds new layers of understanding to Belt and Road studies,
and the changing ways in which the past is mobilised in the 21st century
for strategic purposes. Her focus on strategic narratives reveals how
Kenya, Kyrgyzstan and multilateral forums, all come together within a
great arc of foreign policy and diplomacy. Moving between disciplines,
this book makes a significant contribution to the changing nature of
international affairs today.”
Tim Winter,
University of Western Australia
“Carolijn van Noort’s book is an excellent interdisciplinary study on
how China communicates its Belt and Road Initiative at the global stage
through narrating about infrastructure and Silk Road. A must-read for
those who are interested in strategic communications and China’s Belt
and Road.”
Jinghan Zeng,
Lancaster University
“In this remarkable study, Dr. van Noort provides a methodologi-
cally ambitious and precise, conceptually clear, and empirically rich
account of China’s strategic narratives. This book discloses across
three fascinating case studies the crucial role those narratives play in
global politics. Dr. van Noort deploys a deep understanding of a vari-
ety of topics and resources, including history, communication, and
visual politics, in this dynamic book. It is that rare study that is both
intellectually rigorous and enjoyable, even exciting, to read.”
Brent J. Steele,
The University of Utah
China’s Communication
of the Belt and Road Initiative
This book examines how China’s international political communication of
the Belt and Road Initiative comprises narratives about infrastructure and
the Silk Road.
By carefully selecting infrastructure modalities and Silk Road representa-
tions, it is argued that China’s aesthetic productions of the Belt and Road
Initiative are used to advance China’s image as an infrastructure and stand-
ards-setting power, conjure up a historical continuation of friendly and
cooperative relations, and forge China’s identity as good neighbor, good
friend, and good partner. Using a multiple-case study approach, this book
analyses China’s communication of the Second Belt and Road Forum, the
Alternative North-South Road in Kyrgyzstan, the Standard Gauge Railway
in Kenya, and the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge. Detailed literary
analyses of the Travels of Marco Polo and the Travels of Ibn Battutah fur-
ther elucidate China’s selective uses of history. Chapters highlight spatial,
temporal, political, economic, technological, and perceptual modalities in
infrastructure narratives, and reveal the composition of Silk Road narra-
tives, contributing to key debates about Chinese discourse, media strategy,
and infrastructure communication.
China’s Communication of the Belt and Road Initiative will appeal to stu-
dents and scholars of politics, international relations, communication, and
Asian studies globally.
Dr Carolijn van Noort is a Lecturer in Politics and Public Policy at the Uni-
versity of the West of Scotland. Her research focuses on the international
political communication of rising powers. Her first book, Infrastructure Com-
munication in International Relations, examined how rising powers communi-
cate about infrastructure internationally.
Routledge Series on the Belt and Road Initiative
The Routledge Series on the Belt and Road Initiative publishes peer-
reviewed scholarly contributions in the wider context of International
Relations, International Political Economy, Global Governance, Security,
Geopolitics, and Geo-economy.
The series offers a venue for monographs and edited volumes making sub-
stantial contributions to the ongoing debate on the origin, processes, and
impacts of China’s BRI. Examining the related tools of diplomacy, trade,
investment, finance, and security and their impact on countries, regions,
continents, global governance, security, international and multi-lateral
institutions, the series draws together key thinking on the BRI as it contin-
ues to development and forge links around the world.
Editor-in-Chief: Mehdi P. Amineh, Department of Political Science,
University of Amsterdam, and International Institute for Asian Studies,
Leiden, The Netherlands.
China’s Communication
of the Belt and Road Initiative
Silk Road and Infrastructure Narratives
Carolijn van Noort
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2022 Carolijn van Noort
The right of Carolijn van Noort to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Van Noort, Carolijn, author.
Title: China’s communication of the Belt and Road Initiative: Silk Road
and infrastructure narratives/Carolijn van Noort.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor
& Francis, 2022. | Series: Routledge series on the Belt and Road
Initiative | Includes bibliographical references. | Contents: Belt and
road communication—Infrastructure narratives: communication
of infrastructure modalities—Silk road rarratives: selective
communication of history—Infrastructure achievements and the
belt and road forum in 2019—The alternative north-south road in
Kyrgyzstan—The standard gauge railway in Kenya—The China-
Maldives friendship bridge—Historical statecraft and aesthetic
insecurity: travels by Marco Polo and Ibn Battutah—Conclusion.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021011303 | ISBN 9781032026244 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781032027005 (paperback) | ISBN 9781000433289 (adobe pdf) |
ISBN 9781000433326 (epub) | ISBN 9781003184713 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Yi dai yi lu (Initiative: China) | China—Foreign
economic relations—Developing countries. | Developing countries—
Foreign economic relations—China.
Classification: LCC HF1604.Z4 D488 2022 | DDC 382/.30951—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021011303
ISBN: [978-1-032-02624-4] (hbk)
ISBN: [978-1-032-02700-5] (pbk)
ISBN: [978-1-003-18471-3] (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003184713
Typeset in Times New Roman
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
To Miguel Ramírez and Alexander Tenoch van Noort
Contents
List of Tables x
Series-editor Preface xi
Foreword xiv
List of Abbreviations xvii
Author biography xix
1 Belt and Road communication 1
2 Infrastructure narratives: Communication
of infrastructure modalities 32
3 Silk Road narratives: Selective communication
of history 49
4 Infrastructure achievements and the Belt and
Road Forum in 2019 76
5 The Alternative North-South Road in Kyrgyzstan 101
6 The Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya 135
7 The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge 171
8 Historical statecraft and aesthetic insecurity:
Travels by Marco Polo and Ibn Battutah 207
9 Conclusion 227
Index 234
