ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 makes a brief presentation of the book as a contribution to the study of a severely undertheorized topic that is nevertheless essential for the understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): the role of the political elites of partner states in China’s strategy of global expansion. It is argued that the international socialization of these elites by ‘normative power China’ represents the central element of the BRI. Moreover, Beijing’s efforts to develop normative power, as well as the use of this power in the socialization process, is presented as part of a strategy intended to bring Global South state-society complexes within an extensive network of close partnerships conducive to the creation of a new, Chinese-centered international order. Further details are provided on this strategy that is firstly normative and only secondly geopolitical and geoeconomic. The chapter also explains the reasons for the selection of the six case studies, addresses methodological issues, and presents the structure of the book.
