Category: Belt and Road
World Leaders Descend on Beijing Before Tuesday’s Belt and Road Forum Kickoff
Top officials from around the world are arriving in Beijing this week for the third Belt and Road forum, which comes as China celebrates the 10th anniversary of the signature infrastructure initiative. Some 130 representatives are expected to attend. The gathering ...
China State Media Launches New BRI Outreach Program to Africa
Outreach from China’s state media to African counterparts has gained new energy in the run-up to this week’s Belt and Road Forum. China’s state-owned media house China Media Group on Sunday announced the release of a “China-Africa media action initiative about the Belt and Road ...
An Empirical Perspective on Ten Years of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
By Kevin P. Gallagher China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI) – the ambitious and loosely defined program of overseas investment, economic integration, and South-South Cooperation – turns ten this month. A plethora of stories have abounded since the onset of the ...
Chinese Construction Projects in Kenya Stall Amid Worsening Economy
For Kenya, repaying its loans sustainably is now a matter of concern since the country’s currency is devaluing fast in what the Central Bank said is “adjusting from policy mistakes”.
BRI DEEP DIVE: New Chinese Government Report Gives the Broadest Inside View of the BRI Yet
Marking the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s State Council Information Office released a huge white paper taking stock. It provides the most comprehensive view yet of how the BRI is viewed inside China and a rundown of key achievements.
BRI DEEP DIVE: Outside View Reveals Debt and Pollution, But Also Real Development Benefits
If the Chinese Government’s white paper gives the government account of the BRI, a second huge report provides the view from outside. Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center published a report this week that takes a critical view of the initiative’s first decade.
Cambodia Must Step Up its Energy Game Beyond Chinese-Backed Hydropower
Chinese hydropower dams have helped Cambodia maintain its much-needed electricity supply. But relying on hydroelectric power alone is not enough and has proved to be dangerous for local people and their surroundings. Achieving true energy security for Cambodia could mean that it must consider temporary difficult options, ...
The Future of the Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America
There's growing anxiety in the United States over China's expanding presence in the Latin America-Caribbean (LAC) region. Last week, a Congressional subcommittee held another breathless hearing that warned of the dangers of "Communism on our shores."
China Ushers in New Era of High-Speed Rail in Southeast Asia
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia's first-ever high-speed railway on Monday with the official opening of "Whoosh," the Chinese-backed bullet train that zips at 350kmh between the capital Jakarta and the Javan city of Bandung. The new railway opened four ...
Revealed: The Issues Complicating a Key Belt and Road Project in Pakistan
China is apparently balking at proposals from Pakistan to expand cooperation in their shared China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), revealing growing problems in the key Belt and Road Initiative project. These were revealed by a comparison between the draft proposals submitted by Pakistan to ...
Nepal Walks a China-India-U.S. Tightrope as Prime Minister Heads to Beijing
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (nicknamed “Prachanda”) arrives in China on Friday for the second overseas visit since he took office. His first, in June, was to India, and the choice of destinations shows the delicate balance Nepal has to strike between its giant neighbors. ...
BRI Isn’t Intended to Undermine the West, Says China’s EU Ambassador
Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, challenged the widely-held perception in Brussels and other Western capitals that the Belt and Road Initiative aims to undermine U.S. and European influence around the world. If that was the ...