One Belt, One Road and the process of OBORization

Abstract

China proposed the One Belt and One Road (OBOR) initiative in 2013 to further connect countries in the region and encourage factors of collaboration, including policy, trade, and financing between them, while increasing the speed of each country’s economic development. However, this ambitious project is not without consequences, as the intensifying connections between these countries may facilitate the movement of illegal goods and services and create a new network of criminals. The issue that arises here is whether the launch of OBOR and its potential to attract international criminogenic flows of capital will contribute to a heightened amount of organized crimes in newly linked regions and how law enforcement agencies respond to them. This chapter introduces the background of OBOR and the concept of “OBORization” that guides our discussion throughout each chapter of this edited volume.