Possible effects of the Belt and Road Project on Mediterranean geopolitics

In 2013, China's President Xi Jinping announced a plan to connect Europe to Asia, initially announced as "One Belt One Road" and later renamed as "Belt and Road Project". The reason for this name change in the project is that the term One Belt One Road only covers a specific and narrow area, so the Belt and Road Project was preferred for a more general expression. With the Belt and Road Project, China aims to integrate in many areas such as economy, trade, social and cultural interaction. The question arises in which ways the project, which consists of seven corridors between Asia and Europe, can affect Mediterranean geopolitics. As a result of the development and reconstruction of land, rail and especially sea routes within the scope of this project, the Mediterranean geopolitics is likely to be affected. Thus, the Mediterranean is in an important position in the maritime part of this project. In this direction, the main research questions of this thesis, which was prepared with the qualitative research method, are to what extent the Belt and Road Project can affect the Mediterranean geopolitics, the sustainability of this project, which is planned to end in 2049, and what China aims with this project. In the light of these questions, the main conclusion is that China is expanding its hegemony over Asia towards the Mediterranean. With the ever-increasing need for energy, China is making agreements with Middle Eastern countries. As a result, China's presence in the Mediterranean is competing with the United States.