Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Country: Thailand
Belt and Road Initiative at 10: Milestones and Concerns Across Southeast Asia
China held its third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October, with leaders from Southeast Asia in attendance to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At the opening ceremony, the Chinese president Xi Jinping posed with ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Beijing Hosts 8th Lancang-Mekong Foreign Ministers Meeting
Beijing hosted the 8th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday, jointly led by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister U Than Swe. Wang met individually with multiple representatives on Wednesday as they arrived for ...
Thailand Promotes Land Bridge Project at APEC
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is pitching a $28 billion project aimed at bypassing the Straits of Malacca at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week. He also promoted the project at China’s Belt and Road Forum in October. Thavisin told potential ...
Thai Leader Debunks Idea of Hosting Chinese Police for Joint Patrols in Tourist Zones
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the country would not be inviting Chinese police officers to patrol Thai tourist destinations after reports of such a plan sparked an outcry. Tourism officials had recently raised the idea of having Chinese and Thai ...
Changan Becomes Latest Chinese Automaker to Break Ground in Thailand
Changan, one of China’s Big Four automakers, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for its first assembly plant in Thailand, following other Chinese car sellers in a rapid expansion into Southeast Asia. The new manufacturing facility is located in Thailand’s auto hotspot ...
China’s BYD Takes Pole Position in Thailand, Southeast Asia’s Largest EV Market
Chinese electric vehicle brand BYD has been taking over Thailand by storm. Its most popular model – Atto 3 SUVs now controls 31% of Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) segment, less than a year after it launched in October 2022. This ...
Lithium Rush: The Risks and Rewards of a China-Led Commodity Boom for Latin America and the Caribbean’s Transition Materials
By Zara C. Albright At last week’s Belt and Road Forum, China announced the creation of the Green Investment and Finance Partnership (GIFP), part of the $100 billion in new financing for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aimed at ...
Thai Land Bridge Project (Possibly) Gets Chinese Interest
Thai officials say the Chinese construction giant China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) expressed interest in a project touted by the Thai government that would build double deep-sea ports in Chumphong and Ranong, linked by road, rail, and pipelines to connect the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. ...
China’s Dominance of the EV Battery Metal Supply Chain
Chilean President Gabriel Boric oversaw the signing of a $233 million lithium deal on Tuesday with Chinese mining giant Tsingshan Holding Group, the latest investment that solidifies China's dominance of the fiercely contested EV battery metal supply chain.
The Belt and Road Forum Is All About Deals, Deals, Deals
One of the reasons so many leaders from around the world are in Beijing is because the Belt and Road Forum is expected to be an important space for new deals. Some leaders are traveling with large corporate entourages in the hope of finalizing trade and investment ...
Southeast Asian Vacation Spots Wait for Chinese Tourists Who Seem More Content to Stay Home
The number of Chinese tourists that went abroad during last week’s normally bustling holiday break was significantly below pre-pandemic levels and even fell short of official forecasts, raising more concerns about the country’s tightened consumer spending. While a rare confluence of ...