In the recent years, trade, cultural exchange and transfer of knowledge in the Indian Ocean have come increasingly into the scope of various scholarly disciplines. The previous perception that the exploitation of this sea did only start with the European colonial expansion at the end of the 15th century had to be abandoned: The Europeans absorbed the long existing structures rather than creating new ones. This concept of the Indian Ocean as a coherent space of transfer is also adopted in this volume. Some of the articles were presented at a conference held in Vienna, while the others were supplied independently. The contributions are arranged around the two "poles", represented by the western and the eastern part of the Indian Ocean, especially Iran and China, but also other cultures and the manifold relations with the land-based Silk Road are discussed. The time frame ranges from the 14th to the 17th century.

The ancient maritime Silk Road that helped connect Asia and Europe has been reinvented as part of China's ambitious Belt and Road initiative. However, the seaborne international trade and shipping-lanes, that carry 80-90 per cent of world trade, were there long before China's intrusion on the scene. Even so, China's intention to build ports at key locations along these trade routes has caused considerable unease in the Western security community. This volume explores the forces that have shaped the fortunes of maritime trade and shipping in the last decade by looking at the different types of cargo and their individual trade networks. It gives a vivid account of the many different mechanism used by key players to maintain profitability, supported by colourful case descriptions of the ports and ships that service the trade. It also explores the future challenges faced by the industry, including that of the 'China threat'. Only in this way can a nuanced judgement be made of the nature of China's intervention. 'Illuminating and deeply researched, avoiding both hyperbole and demonization, the Maritime Silk Road offers a detailed and balanced perspective on China's major and growing role in global maritime trade.' Prof. Charles K. Armstrong, Professor of History, Colombia University, USA. 'Prof. Griffiths combines strict logic and investigative imagination in a fact-based, easy to read, multidisciplinary analysis of China's maritime activities in 21st century.' Prof. Adam K. Prokopowicz, President Institute of Global Innovation, Economics, and Logistics; Associate Director, US National Ports and Waterways Institute (ret) 'This book is very eloquent, well-researched, and high spirited, and it indeed provides a provocative account of China's soft power in relations to its foreign policy.' Prof. Mohd Aminul Karim, Dean of Business School, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

This book explores the opportunities and challenges that both Europe and Asia face under the framework of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSR Initiative), put forward by the Chinese government together with the Silk Road Economic Belt, reflects China’s ambition and vision to shape the global economic and political order. The first step and priority under the MSR Initiative, according to documents issued by China, is to build three ‘Blue Economic Passages’ linking China with the rest of the world at sea, two of which will connect China with Europe. This initiative, however, still faces enormous challenges of geopolitical suspicion and security risks. This book seeks to assess these risks and their causes for the cooperation between the Eurasian countries under the framework of MSR and puts forward suggestions to deal with these risks in the interdisciplinary perspectives of international relations and international law. Featuring a global team of contributors, this book will be of much interest to students of Asian politics, maritime security, international law and international relations.

This book analyzes the progress of the MSRI, highlights the political and economic factors affecting its realization, and offers insights into the political and economic implications of China’s endeavor. It focuses specifically on countries within Africa and the Middle East to provide a basis for a substantive examination of these issues in a manner sensitive to the milieu in individual countries and relevant regions. It represents the final volume in a well-received series on China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), which, so far, includes books covering China’s MSRI and South Asia (Palgrave, 2018) and China’s MSRI and Southeast Asia (Palgrave, 2019). This book will interest scholars of China, international relations, and the relevant regions, journalists, and policymakers.

Imagined Geographies is a pioneering work in the study of history and geography of the pre-1800 world. In this book, Gunn argues that different regions astride the maritime silk roads were not only interconnected but can also be construed as “imagined geographies.” Taking a grand civilizational perspective, five such geographic imaginaries are examined across respective chapters, namely Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and European including an imagined Great South Land. Drawing upon an array of marine and other archaeological examples, the author offers compelling evidence of the intertwining of political, cultural, and economic regions across the sea silk roads from ancient times until the seventeenth century. Through a thorough analysis of these five geographic imaginaries, the author sets aside purely national history and looks at the maritime realm from a broader spatial perspective. He challenges the Eurocentric concept of center and periphery and establishes a revisionist view on a decentered world regional history. This book will definitely interest history lovers from all around the world who wants to know more about how their forebears viewed their respective region and how their region fits into world history with local uniqueness. “Gunn takes large themes and makes them understandable. He is not afraid to make the grand statement, and to look at the sweep of history all in one arc. I admire that greatly; this is not history for the faint of heart. But it is history well-done, and history that can show the forest from the trees.” —Eric Tagliacozzo, John Stambaugh Professor of History, Cornell University “This is one of the most ambitious and insightful books that I have read on pre-Modern maritime Asia. The author offers fascinating perspectives on how this vast region was imagined, charted, and experienced over many centuries. That requires mastery of an immense range of scholarship and primary sources. His aim is to knit this watery world together into a conceptual whole. This mission is accomplished with style and discipline.” —Andrew R. Wilson, John A. van Beuren Chair of Asia-Pacific Studies, U.S. Naval War College

This innovative book examines the maritime component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), focusing on three key trade routes and addressing the question of how China protects its overseas assets. Gerald Chan explores China’s rising maritime power, using geo-developmentalism as a theoretical framework to analyse the country’s development of port facilities and infrastructure along important trade routes. Through developing these sea routes, he argues that a new global order is in the making.

This book delves into the political-economy of China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), part of the larger Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with a focus on Southeast Asia (SEA). It represents the second in a three-part book series on China’s MSRI. It discusses the state of the MSRI in various SEA countries such as Indonesia and Myanmar, highlights the international and domestic economic and political factors that shape individual SEA country’s embrace of China’s scheme, and examines the effects of China’s MSRI in individual SEA countries such as Cambodia and Malaysia. It also contemplates the role of third parties such as India and the United States on the behaviors of SEA countries and the implementation of the MSRI. It shows the MSRI is neither a boon nor bust and that the MSRI’s progress and effects are contingent on many factors requiring attention by those wanting to understand China’s mega initiative.