| The port is a key area of the Maritime Silk Road in the Twenty-first Century,which continuously infuses new momentum into the construction of "the Belt & Road Initiative".Port construction in the direction of the Indian Ocean plays an important role in the overall promotion of the Silk Road.As Zhang Wenmu,a famous scholar said: The Indian Ocean is a place where historical powers rise and enter the Empire,and it is also a turning point of the world empire from prosperity to decline.In today’s Indian Ocean,the United States and its allies strive to maintain the existence established after World War II.India adheres to its dream of being a great power and regards the control of the Indian Ocean as the key to India’s freedom and development.China continues to enhance their influence in this region by giving full play to their economic and political advantages.It can be said that the geopolitical competition situation of the Indian Ocean is extremely complex.At the turning point of this century,the Indian Ocean has been paid more and more attention by the major powers in the world.The port is an important support to promote the construction of the Five Links of the Silk Road.“The Belt & Road Initiative” vision and action document,co-construction of “The Belt &Road Iniative" vision,point out that the sea is a key part with joint construction of a safe and efficient transportation corridor.At the same time,Chinese leaders have used“important fulcrum” and “important hub” to describe the significance of port construction in the direction of the Maritime Silk Road and the Indian Ocean on many international occasions.As the most concentrated area of maritime logistics,the port is conducive to play its role of radiation and driving,and promote the economic and trade development of countries in the region.The port can be used as a strategic fulcrum to guard the key maritime channels,which is of great significance to protect China’s national security and maritime transport security,and enhance China’s maritime power and influence.As the meeting point of national foreign policy,the port can promote the development of port diplomacy and promote the development of political relations of relevant countries.This paper takes the port construction along the Indian Ocean as the breakthrough point,builds the theoretical analysis framework of port construction from the perspective of international relations,the world economy and other disciplines,focuses on the port construction of Colombo,Sri Lanka and Gwadar,Pakistan,summarizes its achievements and challenges,analyzes the experience and lessons of port construction,and then offers suggestions and countermeasures for further improvement.Based on international cooperation theory,international development assistance theory,industrial transfer theory and marine community of destiny theory,this paper reveals the theoretical significance of port construction,and analyzes the strategic position and role of the Indian Ocean based on the background of the Maritime Silk Road and points out that China cannot stay away from the Indian Ocean because of its national interests.Then it analyzes the significance of port construction,the promotion of marine economic development,the promotion of maritime connectivity,and the promotion of the construction of blue partnership.Starting from the overall layout of the port,this paper examines the relevant factors affecting the port layout with three variables of economic attributes,geographical location and national relations,and then analyzes the role of the state,enterprises and international mechanisms in promoting the implementation of the port layout.Combined with the main port construction projects,including Gwadar,Hambantota,Colombo,and Djibouti,this paper summarizes the forms of port cooperation,including green space investment,cross-border M & A,and concession models.Combined with the investment approval decision practice of the China Merchants Port Group,it illustrates the port investment process of enterprises.This paper analyzes the legal challenges faced by the port construction in the Indian Ocean direction from two aspects of the Concession Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement,and analyzes the issue of Exclusivity of the concession agreement by applying to an actual case of DP World Group v.China Merchants Port.At the same time,the paper analyzes the main political and security challenges facing the port construction,including the lack of sustainable debt management capacity,the impact of geopolitical risks on policy continuity,the existing and potential security risks,and the poor guarantee effect of legal system.Taking the difficulties and challenges faced by Gwadar Port as an example,the paper reveals the difficulties faced by the Maritime Silk Road in the Indian Ocean,including poor economic development,difficulty in financing,security issues affecting the sustainability of port operations,concerns of countries outside the region that China-Pakistan cooperation could undermine regional stability,and social and cultural differences hamper localized operations.On the basis of analyzing the difficulties,this paper proposes a summary of the basic model of the project construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative”,focuses on the discourse dissemination of the project construction of the "Belt and Road",and strengthens the sense of responsibility and risk awareness of enterprises.This paper comprehensively analyzes the cognition and attitude of the United States,India,the European Union and Japan towards the Silk Road,and forms the corresponding countermeasures.At the same time,it offers the improvement path from the aspects of the handling of national relations,the improvement of enterprise management,and the construction of rules and regulations.Specifically,at the national level,we should properly handle relations among major powers,enhance mutual trust,and promote pragmatic security cooperation.At the enterprise level,we should improve corporate governance,carry out the localization management strategy,and promote the construction of public relations.At the institutional level,we should promote the construction of port cooperation mechanism,promote the creation and update of rules and standards,and comprehensively implement policies to resolve the cooperation risks.Port construction provides a starting point for the promotion of the Silk Road in the Indian Ocean.With the help of port construction,China can cooperate with the countries where the port is located,neighbouring countries and foreign countries in economics,politics,military,security and other fields,to assist in the development of the economy,the promotion of regional connectivity and the maintenance of maritime security and order.Obviously,due to geopolitics,strategic competition,cognitive differences and other reasons,the achievement and continuation of port cooperation still need China to properly handle differences with relevant countries,control disputes and ensure the stability of the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. |
