Does China's Economic Expansion in South Asia Constitute Imperialism

Does China’s Economic Expansion in South Asia Constitute Imperialism? Huzaifa Ejaz Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Prerequisite for Honors in the Department of Political Science under the advisement of Professor Christopher Candland May 2020 © 2020 Huzaifa Ejaz 1 2 ABSTRACT The dawn of the “Century of Asia” has begun to announce its arrival and the center of gravity of economic and political might is beginning to shift from the West to the East. As regional powers bid for power and current contenders watch with inhibition, China’s rise to the forefront is worrisome to a fair share. China’s ambitious infrastructure investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to expand its economic and political soft power across the globe. Some of these collaborations have occurred in South Asia and port holdings are particularly crucial to China’s endeavors of increasing connectivity, influence, and profits; and decreasing costs and travel times. The two ports within South Asia that Chinese companies have stakes in are the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka and the Gwadar Port in Pakistan. The two are cited as emblems of Chinese imperialism within current popular discourse. The former is currently on a controversial 99-year lease to the China Merchants Port Holdings Company while the latter is being forewarned of a similar fate. By evaluating whether these ports are imperial possessions, as is popularly insinuated through the vernacular of “debt-trap diplomacy”, this thesis explores the arguments espoused in favor of and in opposition to the notion of Chinese imperialism within South Asia. The thesis contextualizes the debate within intellectual tradition as well as the geopolitics of the region and performs a myth-busting of simplistic arguments employed for Chinese imperialism in the process. The thesis concludes that the two port holdings do not currently qualify as imperial possessions and identifies aspects that could lead to a revision of this conclusion in the future. It also makes a brief note of the importance of popular political rhetoric in informing perceptions of the Initiative around the world. This thesis deliberates on concerns regarding imperialism with deliberate concentration on the South Asia, a region still reeling from an imperial past, as it interacts with China with its own complex history of interaction with imperialism. 3 Acknowledgements No expression of gratitude will do justice to the sheer kindness and magnanimity I have received in the process of writing this thesis and in living my days. This is my humble token of appreciation to the village that has broken my falls and allowed me to stand mountains tall, even at 5’3. I am sincerely grateful to my thesis advisor, Professor Christopher Candland. Thank you so much for your encouragement, guidance, and genuine investment in my ideas. I am particularly touched by your willingness to advocate on my behalf. I am also thankful to Professor Paul MacDonald and William Joseph for agreeing to join my committee and providing their invaluable guidance along the way. Professor Joseph, thank you so much for entertaining my last-minute pleas of help with utmost grace and generosity. I am also indebted to Professor Neelima Shukla Bhatt for doing me the honor of becoming the Honors Visitor for this thesis and always extending me kindness throughout my time at Wellesley. Her thoughtfulness, prayers, and genuine commitment to my success will forever award me joy and awe. I am particularly grateful to Professor Moon for agreeing to join the committee on short notice and for offering her time and guidance. No words will convey the sincere gratitude I have for the entirety of my thesis committee. This thesis would not exist without their guidance, and more importantly, their empathy and kindness. I am forever indebted. I would be remiss not to mention professors whose classes within the department substantially changed my life. Professor Katharine Moon’s gentle but disciplined guidance to a timid first- semester student enrolled in an intimidating 300-level course did her plenty good. Thank you for restoring my confidence whenever I lacked it and for always inspiring me to strive for nothing but the best. Professor Paul Martorelli’s “Human Rights” course truly altered my worldview and allowed me to develop a critical eye in every sense of the word. Most importantly, his dedication to the craft and his students will forever inspire faith and confidence in me. He deserves the world and a tenured position at Wellesley, the latter of which would only be to his students’ best fortune. Thank you for believing in me. I am also incredibly indebted to the Barnette Miller Committee for awarding me a Barnette Miller Honors Grant, which allowed me to travel and timely address my biases before I committed them to page and my subconscious. To teachers who saw potential in me in the days of my youth in Pakistan, Farah Malik, Sofia Irfan, Fatima Shaukat, Tahira Hashmi, Naheed Akhtar, Mrs. Nusrat and countless others at BMI, this is a reminder that your teaching and your vote of confidence is weaved into the fabric of my being and will forever remain a part of everything I do. I am particularly grateful to Mrs. Nusrat and Mrs. Naheed for inspiring in me a love for history and critical thought so early on but more so for the unwavering faith in their eyes whenever they spoke to me. To Mushtaq uncle and in loving memory of Perveen aunty who would always offer a thoughtful prayer at every encounter in the hallways at BMI, I hope you consider this some semblance of the acceptance of those directed at my success. Sir Fahd, thank you for all the wonderful history lessons in your cozy study and all your kind support thereafter. A special note of gratitude for inspiring within my peers and me the notion that Political Science is a cool-kid endeavor with plenty of clout. 4 Friends I made in college and now the family I bear in my heart were instrumental in ensuring that this thesis was completed in the comfort of knowing that help and reassurance were always nearby. Sarah Yaser ’19 and Maryam Chloe Pervaiz ’19, thank you so much for taking me under your wings as your little sister and putting up with my shenanigans. Maryam and her lovely family kindly hosted my family and me during travel for research. Maryam is also the main reason this thesis is not an utter pain to everyone reading. Thank you for everything, Maryam. I aspire to be a fraction of what you are someday. Thank you to Sidikha Ashraf ’19 for her reassurance and the reminder that one person’s trash can potentially be a thesis committee’s treasure. Potentially. A special note of gratitude to Zainab Jafiq ’20 and Minhal Gardezi ’20 for appreciating the thought and effort poured into the memes about my thesis and their gentle reminders of support for everything I have endeavored to at Wellesley. I am also grateful to the underclasswomen in ALM and PSA for feigning awe at the accounts of the mundane intricacies of the thesis-writing process. A very special thank you from the deepest depths of my heart to Sarah Noor Malik and Lyba Khan for what seems like a lifetime of friendship, laughs, sincerity, and support. Sarah, thank you for hosting me at Princeton and for being on standby for all life situations. Your reminders of support and the milkshake you ordered to my door in support of this thesis were especially needed and particularly appreciated. Lyba Khan, you can have my left kidney should you ever need it. You have been the single most instrumental friend in seeing this thesis through, from beginning to end. I would not have wanted to do this without you. I salute your endurance in bearing with me. I love you. Every moment spent with you two was the highlight of my time at college. My best friends from home who render all the time and distance between us meaningless; you are the shining light of my life. Noor Fatima, Iman Basit, Fatima Asad, Mahoor Khalid, and Abdullah Memon, thank you so much for being the best family of peers one could possibly ask for. No words will convey my gratitude for your constant encouragement, love, reassurance, and support. To receive that from you all every single day is my greatest fortune. Noor and Iman, thank you for your bravery in enduring painstaking detail of every thesis development from its very inception and for your unwavering support for everything I have ever set my mind to. Fatima Asad provided the beautiful illustrations included in the thesis, along with a caring reminder every day in its support. Your talent and kindness astound me. Abdullah Memon deserves a separate thesis for always exceeding expectations as my honorary elder brother. Thank you for all the help, care, and concern. Mahoor, your and Urooba Ahmed’s reminders of misplaced confidence in me always warm my heart and award me light when I need it the most. Ushna Mashal, Mahnoor Fatima Saad, and Mah Rukh Anwar, your compassion will forever perplex me, and I can only thank my lucky stars for you. The Blue family from BMI is always at the heart of the work I undertake. My honorary siblings, Mashal Ashfaque, Alisha Tahir, and Tasweebullah Cheema, and Fahad Ullah, I can only attempt audacious undertakings such as this one because you inspire me. Members of my extended family who opened their loving homes and arms to me at the slightest chance, this is for you. My aunts, khala Moona, khala Rizwana, khala Rehana, Shamim phupho, Shakila phupo, Nabila phupho and Saima mamee showered me with all the affection in the world.

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