South Korea’s Policy towards China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”: Implications for India

Abstract

China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) is being projected as one of the biggest infrastructure and connectivity projects of the 21st century. This Chinese mega project has evoked varied responses from the Asian nations. South Korea (hereafter Korea) which is the fourth biggest economy in Asia and an important trade partner of India has been supportive of the BRI, as this strategy is compatible with Seoul’s own vision of increased connectivity with the Eurasian market, capital, labor and resources, and is conducive to the promotion of Korean national reunification. On the other hand, India has been opposed to the BRI as it overlooks New Delhi’s sovereignty concerns and serves China’s geopolitical interests. Also, India has been supporting the “Indo-Pacific strategy” along with the United States, Japan and Australia to counter China’s rising hegemony in the region. As a result, Korea and India have different views on the BRI. This article aims to conduct an analysis of Korea’s policy towards China’s BRI which could have detrimental implications for India and argues that there is a need to take some serious measures to improve Korea-India relations in the coming times.