BCIM economic corridor disturbed by non-traditional security issues

By Qin ruijing, Liu Aijiao and Chen Feiyu

Due to the rise of the counter-globalization trend and obstacles to the compatibility of regionalism and nationalism, the influence of non-traditional security factors in geopolitics is gradually spreading and intensifying. With the slow progress of the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, non-traditional security factors have also shown certain characteristics and trends.

The non-traditional security issues in the BCIM Economic Corridor are not only numerous, but also have complicated causes. Due to the lack of stable social and economic foundations in this region, the regional management mechanism is extremely lacking, and many international criminal behaviors beyond the scope of government control have been bred. At the same time, residents living in areas where sovereignty is ambiguous are often reduced to political tools，due to local power and central government power struggles, and basic human rights are not satisfied. It is precisely because of such outstanding social problems that the BCIM Economic Corridor exhibits the characteristics of multiple problems. The non-traditional security issues of the BCIM Economic Corridor cover almost all non-traditional security issues in the world, including terrorism, extremism, ethnic separatism, cross-border crimes, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, climate issues, infectious diseases, culture conflicts and refugees have all emerged in the region. The intertwining of many issues has also led to the complexity of non-traditional security issues.

The complexity of the non-traditional security issues in the BCIM Economic Corridor is mainly manifested in: history and reality are intertwined; the interests of various interest groups are intertwined; old problems are not effectively solved, and new problems are emerging one after another. Judging from the interweaving of history and reality, most of the non-traditional security issues in the BCIM Economic Corridor are products left over from history, such as Myanmar’s civilian and military issues, Northeast India’s issues, drug issues, and cross-border crimes. Most of these non-traditional security issues arose during the British colonial period and around the end of World War II, and some have been existing for hundreds of years. They are still the main problem in the current BCIM Economic Corridor and exert a greater influence. From the perspective of interest groups, these non-traditional security issues have also become the barging chips of various interest groups. Taking Myanmar as an example, this issue not only involves the interests of armed forces of ethnic minorities and the interests of ethnic minorities, but also the central government of Myanmar interests, even international interference. Judging from the old and new issues, the non-traditional security issues in the BCIM Economic Corridor are both inherited and initiated. For example, the Rohingya refugee problem is left over from history, but as terrorism spreads in the Islamic world, the refugee problem is more or less dominated by extremist ideas, which complicates the problem.

The BCIM Economic Corridor is now facing a severe non-traditional security situation. These non-traditional security issues have hindered the normal development of the region. Over time, the unresolved hidden dangers and contradictions are now tending to solidify, and even become the shackles that affect the socio-economy return to normal track. From the current point of view, on the one hand, the construction of the BCIM Economic Corridor has been widely recognized by the governments of the countries along the route, and the focus of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor derived from it has continued to increase. But it is undeniable that the political environment in the region is complex and there are many interests uncertainties. It is not easy to eliminate all the obstacles in the economic corridor from the roots. Judging from the development trend of non-traditional security in the BCIM Economic Corridor, the region also presents a situation where opportunities and challenges coexist. To solve the non-traditional security issues in the BCIM Economic Corridor efforts should be made to build a mechanism that conforms to the interests of regional countries and the status quo of the region. The key to advancing the construction and overcoming the barriers of non-traditional security factors is to strengthen political mutual trust between China and neighboring countries; build a common economic interest foundation driven by economic development; as non-traditional security factors become prominent, traditional security concept has been unable to cope with emerging social problems, and countries in the region need to work together to build a new security concept and jointly deal with non-traditional security.

The BCIM Economic Corridor Initiative is an important part of Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. It is also an important path for China to expand the Southeast Asian market and deepen cooperation in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Despite the broad development prospects of the region, non-traditional security issues have emerged in recent years, hindering the construction of economic corridors. In order to fundamentally eliminate the persistent problems caused by non-traditional security issues, it is not a one-time achievement. China, in the future, should strive to explore the combination of realism and neo-liberal institutionalism in the BCIM Economic Corridor. Efforts should be made to explore effective breakthrough paths in order to overcome the interference of non-traditional security factors on the construction of the economic corridor as soon as possible, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win for the countries in the region as soon as possible.

(Qin ruijing, Scholar, Yunnan Academy of Social Science, P.R China; Liu Aijiao, Associate Professor, Yunnan Police Officer College; Chen Feiyu, PHD Scholar of Shanghai International Study University)