China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC)
On September 11, 2014, China proposed a tripartite regional initiative to connect Mongolia’s Development Road Initiative (Steppe Road) and Russia’s Trans-Eurasian Railway Network. Through this corridor, Chinese-made products as well as Russian oil and gas, Mongolia’s natural resources such as coal, iron, silver, crude oil and gold are shipped. The economic corridor in question starts from the Chinese cities of Tientsin and Dalian, reaching from the town of Erenhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the Gobi coal and copper deposits in Mongolia and the Choybalsan uranium and zinc deposit, and the Suifen River moving along the way, it reaches the gold and iron ore deposits in the Far East region of Russia, the West Siberian oil field, and then the Baltic Sea. This corridor is three times shorter than the corridor that runs from the east of China to Western Europe by sea. During the test flights in 2015, cargo from China’s Manzhouli station to Moscow, Russia was delivered in about 12-14 days.
New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB)
The main backbone of the new Eurasian Land Bridge economic corridor is the 10800 km long railway. Originating in China’s Jiangsu and Shandong regions, the railway runs along the coasts of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. One branch of the line leads south to reach the oil and gas resources around the Caspian Sea, uranium and iron ore deposits. This route is mainly used to transport products from China to Europe via freight train. This line is completed in a shorter time compared to maritime transport. Cargo arrived by sea in 37 days and is delivered over this line in 16 days.
China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Belt (CCWAEC)
The purpose of this corridor is to connect the rail systems between China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Türkiye. In other words, it connects China (via Urum and Xinjiang) to Kazakhstan and from there to the Mediterranean through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Türkiye.
Route: Urumqi (China), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Tashkent and Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Tehran (Iran), Ankara and Istanbul (Türkiye). When this corridor is fully operational, the shipment of goods from eastern China to Iran by rail will take half the time compared to shipping by sea from the Shanghai Port. Other countries to which this corridor contributes are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a 3,000 km regional infrastructure network project undertaken by Beijing. Its main objective is to secure China’s energy and other trade with Middle Eastern countries and reduce risks by avoiding the Malacca Strait route. In this context, it is planned to build a deep-sea port in Gwadar and a road and railway line extending from this port to China’s western Xinjiang Province. Pakistan’s gains are to meet its energy needs, improve infrastructure and modernize transport networks. In this way, Pakistan will move from an economic structure based on agriculture to an economic structure based on industry.
This project will not only benefit China and Pakistan, but also have a positive impact on Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia region. Stable growth, improved road, rail and air transport system, higher volume trade and investment opportunities are some of these gains.
Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIMEC)
The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIMEC) project basically starts from Kunming, China, follows Myanmar and Bangladesh, reaching the Indian port city of Kolkata. Then, the aforementioned port is connected to the Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Thus, the land corridor established by China through Myanmar-Bangladesh-India connects to the Maritime Silk Road passing through Sri Lanka. Due to some of the challenges posed by regional geopolitics, the project has come to a halt. The ongoing disagreements between India and China due to the Kashmir Issue and geopolitical-strategic competition, Myanmar and Bangladesh due to the Rohingya Problem, and China and Myanmar due to the Kokang Problem adversely affect the project. In addition, the political and social crises in Sri Lanka have made it difficult to implement this corridor.
The first of the objectives in this corridor is to develop transport corridors and infrastructure in the region, the second to develop energy resources, the third to develop agriculture and the fourth to develop trade and ultimately to ensure socio-economic development in the region. Although a budget of 22 billion dollars was initially foreseen for the implementation of the project, it is planned that 55 percent of this financing will be obtained from the participation partners of the Belt and Road Initiative banks.
China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (CICPEC)
Countries in the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor are Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Although the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative dates back to 2013-2014, it took 2 to 3 years for the “China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor” to become official. With a joint declaration signed by the “9th PanBeibu Bay Economic Cooperation Forum” and the “China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor Development Forum”, the “China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor Initiative” was launched.
The line in question, which aims to connect China to the Indochina Peninsula; It is divided into three branches: eastern, central and western corridors. The eastern corridor runs from Kunming, the administrative center of China’s Yunnan province, to Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, following the coastline, and from there to Punom Pen, the capital of Cambodia, and finally to reach Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. In addition to the eastern corridor that passes through Vietnam, there is also the middle corridor, which is planned to connect China’s southwestern provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan directly to Bangkok and from there to Singapore. In addition to this, there is also a western corridor that envisages connecting China to Thailand through Myanmar.
China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)
In line with this project, China plans to connect to Myanmar’s Kyaukpyu Port. Thus, it will be able to connect to the Maritime Silk Road in the Bay of Bengal. Thanks to the Myanmar Corridor, China has created an alternative to the Banghladesh-China-India-Myanmar Corridor, which has reached an impasse due to its disputes with India. It is also important because CMEC will pacify the Strait of Malacca.
The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor consists of three main projects:
- An oil and gas pipeline connecting Myanmar’s strategic port city of Kyaukpyu with China’s southern Yunnan state. (Complete)
- Construction of an industrial park with textile, food and building material industries in the Free Trade Zone in Kyaukpyu. Also the development of an oil terminal in Kyaukphyu and the construction of a deep-sea port.
- Construction of a railway connecting Kyaukpyu to Mandalay and then Kunming. (The suspended project is scheduled to be restarted.)
Of the 24 projects proposed by China under the CMEC, only 9 have been accepted by the Government of Myanmar so far. The most important of these are: Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone; the border trade areas of Myitkyina, Muse and Kanpiketi in Kachin and Shan provinces; It is a new city near Yangon and the Muse-Mandalay Railway Line, which will cover an area twice the size of Singapore.