Announced by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) remains a major global development strategy aimed at enhancing regional ties and economic globalization, covering more than 60 countries from China to Europe, including areas with a significant Kurdish population.
Historically, predominantly Kurdish regions in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkiye (hereafter, Kurdish regions) have faced many challenges, including political instability and economic hardship. However, the BRI carries the promise of reviving these areas by improving infrastructure, creating jobs, and stimulating economic growth. Increased communication and investment will strengthen Kurdish economic independence and political influence. Culturally, these projects will also promote greater unity and exchange and allow Kurdish culture to develop on a global stage.
Regional and global connectivity
At its core, the BRI will enhance commerce and bolster economic growth by building new infrastructure projects in Kurdish regions and opening new trade routes to international markets.
This economic boom is already transforming domestic industries from agriculture to manufacturing, developing new trade links with China, and creating new business opportunities. Investment in transportation and logistics can facilitate the entry and exit of goods from Kurdish regions, attracting foreign investment and promoting domestic trade. But the BRI is not just about building roads and railways; it will help cultivate political stability, cultural exchange, economic development, and commercial growth in Kurdish regions. As these areas continue to integrate into this vast network, China, a major global player, has consistently advocated for peacekeeping, promoted development, and nurtured a better international system.
With the BRI’s aim of boosting global trade and stimulating economic growth across Asia and beyond, the project presents a unique and significant promise to improve the socio-economic landscape for the Kurds, who are divided across Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkiye. Suffering from underdevelopment due to prolonged conflict and political instability, Kurdish regions can tap into Chinese investment to build and upgrade roads, railways, and other vital transport and communication infrastructure, which could facilitate trade and the movement of goods and people and help the Kurdish regions integrate more effectively into global trade networks. Moreover, being part of the BRI could facilitate Kurdish regions becoming important transit points for the movement of goods between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, a strategic positioning that could lead to increased business activity, job creation, and economic diversification.
Cross-regional interactions
The ancient Silk Road, a historic trade network that connected China to the Mediterranean, played an important role in the economic, social, and cultural development of the areas it passed through for centuries, bringing prosperity to the regions along its route, building housing and services, and establishing a developed inter-regional commercial system. As a meeting point for people and merchants from different countries, it also facilitated social contacts, bargaining, interaction, and cultural exchange. Artworks, crafts, paintings, music, and information from different cultures were exchanged. The Silk Road also stimulated the spread of religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism to new lands, contributing to religious diversity and syncretism along its route.
There were two main routes of the ancient Silk Road, with the overland route being the most trafficked. Divided into a northern route used in summer and a southern route used in winter, the overland route formed the basis of the deep historical heritage of the Silk Road. The other route was the Sea Road. Established during the Han Dynasty, it revolutionized trade between China and the Roman Empire, connecting India, South Asia, North Africa, and the Red Sea.
The ancient Silk Road was of immense importance to the Kurds, playing a significant role as a trade route and a cultural bridge that had a great impact on economic, social, and cultural development. This led to the development of trading centers and markets, creating economic opportunities and prosperity and establishing Kurdistan’s strategic position along the Silk Road as a bustling trading center. This, in turn, facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas between different civilizations, as Kurdish regions became a nexus of multiple trade routes.
The ancient Silk Road was also a source of income for the Kurdish emirates. After the weakening of the Abbasid Dynasty, the caliphs could no longer control remote areas of their empire, especially the mountainous regions in the north. In Urmia, a Kurdish principality called Sedqiyah was established from 770-827 AD, and in the plains of Shahrizor, the Ishani took control of the region from 912-961 AD. This gave Kurdish families the opportunity to rule themselves. With the arrival of the Seljuk Empire and the defeat of the Buyid dynasty, Kurdish regions became more autonomous. Several governments were formed under the Seljuks, with Kurdish emirates extending from the southern Caspian Sea to the Arabian Sea.
Pillars of the BRI
The modern version of the Silk Road, the BRI, thus marks the beginning of China’s extensive relations with the Middle East. Although the Kurdish regions themselves are not directly part of the initiative, infrastructure projects and economic partnerships in neighboring countries are already enhancing the importance of Kurdish communities and improving geopolitical dynamics. Below are the five main pillars of the BRI.
The BRI aims to enhance connectivity through infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, ports, and energy pipelines. While most of these projects are concentrated in countries such as Turkiye, Iran, and Iraq, their completion could improve transportation networks and trade routes that would indirectly benefit the Kurdish regions.
Transport: Improved transport infrastructure facilitates the movement of goods and people, which can boost economic growth and regional integration.
Energy distribution: Energy projects, including oil and gas pipelines, enhance energy security and promote economic cooperation. Kurdistan’s large oil and gas reserves are potential beneficiaries of such projects.
Focusing on trade and investment, the BRI can create opportunities for economic development and foreign investment in the Kurdish regions, especially in sectors such as energy, construction, and communications.
Foreign direct investment: Chinese companies involved in BRI projects can provide investment opportunities in Kurdish regions, contributing to job creation and infrastructure development.
Trade routes: The development of new trade routes under the BRI will facilitate increased trade between Kurdish regions and neighboring countries, as well as with China.
Regional stability: Enhanced connectivity and economic development promoted by the BRI can contribute to regional stability by addressing social and economic disparities and enhancing cooperation among countries. However, geopolitical tensions in the region may create obstacles to achieving these goals.
The BRI encourages economic cooperation and integration, which can reduce tensions and enhance peacebuilding efforts between countries, especially those with Kurdish populations.
Balancing interests: China’s policy of non-interference guides its approach to sensitive political issues involving Kurdish communities, as it seeks to maintain stability and positive relations with the countries participating in the BRI.
Soft power and influence: Chinese economic investments and infrastructure projects under the BRI can enhance its soft power and influence in the region, which may influence the dynamics of Kurdish politics and regional geopolitics.
While the BRI primarily focuses on economic and infrastructure development, it also works to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges between participating countries. The cultural interactions facilitated by the initiative may contribute to increased understanding and cooperation between Chinese and Kurdish communities.
Educational and cultural programs: The BRI supports initiatives such as academic exchanges, language programs, and cultural events, which can promote mutual understanding and strengthen ties between Chinese and Kurdish regions.
Tourism and heritage preservation: Cultural sites in Kurdish regions may benefit from increased tourism resulting from improved infrastructure and connectivity and thus contribute to local economies and cultural preservation efforts.
While the Kurdish regions themselves are not a direct part of the BRI, China’s economic and infrastructure projects in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkiye have already positively affected Kurdish communities and the broader geopolitical dynamics in the region. The future of Kurdish-Chinese relations is influenced by various factors, including economic interests, geopolitical dynamics, regional stability, and cultural exchange, all of which can be enhanced with the BRI.
Halo Hassan Saeed is a writer and journalist, a member of the International Union of Journalists, and the author of two books on the People's Republic of China.
