1. Introduction, Keyuan Zou, Shicun Wu, and Qiang Ye Part 1: Maritime Silk Road and Challenges to Asia-Europe Cooperation 2. An EU Perspective on the Maritime Silk Road: Legal Issues, Jörn Axel Kämmerer 3. The Northern Sea Route in the Context of China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Erik Franckx 4. The Challenge to the Maritime Silk Road to Port Connectivity, Renping Zhang and Shihui Yu Part 2: Sea Lanes of Communication and Navigational Safety 5. Maritime Silk Road Initiative Changing Geopolitical Configuration in the Indo-Pacific, Fu-Kuo Liu 6. Maritime Security and Sea Lanes of Communication: Geographical Perspective on Belt and Road Initiative, Vivian Louis Forbes 7. SLOCs Security in the South China Sea: Enhancing or Hindering the Maritime Silk Road? Keyuan Zou and Qiang Ye 8. The Polar Code's Suitability as Legal Protection Against Negative Externalities in the Arctic as Part of the Polar Silk Road? Christian Frier and Kim Østergaard Part 3: Environmental Security and Marine Resources Cooperation 9. Climate Law Implications of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Lorenzo Schiano di Pepe 10. Environmental Security in the South China Sea: Cooperation and Challenges under the Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Lei Zhang 11. Protection of the Marine Environment in the South China Sea in the Aftermath of the Philippines/China Arbitration, Sophia Kopela 12. Conciliation for Marine Transboundary Energy Resources. A Law and Economics Approach, Volker Röben and Rafael Emmanuel Macatangay 13. Cooperation on Fisheries Management in the South China Sea, Lingqun Li Part 4: Handling Financial and Trade Issues 14. Prospects for the Integration of Environmental, Social, and Cultural Sustainability within the Belt and Road Initiative: Case Study of the Duqm Port Development Project in Oman, David M. Ong 15. The New Maritime Silk Road and WTO Law: Road to Harmony or Conflict? Henrik Anderson

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.