China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): Analysis

During his trip to Europe Xi could find it hard to address the damage wrought by COVID-19 and Beijing’s stance on Ukraine. But he may exploit existing tensions with Washington.

China’s long-term strategy around bases in Africa is unclear, but countries hosting them must also make political calculations.

Beijing has bought influence by exporting its high-speed rail technology to Kenya, Indonesia and other countries. But trouble is on the line, writes Yu Jie.

Failure to reach an agreement will damage the IMF and the rules-based international economic cooperation it embodies.

As an emerging Asian middle power, Indonesia’s notion of international order is based on a commitment to democracy and a desire for autonomy in international politics.

Alleged cyberattacks spotlight China’s role in Kenya’s debt problems, but must not be allowed to overshadow the country’s broader failings in its financing.

By disseminating narratives of its own supremacy, China deepened relations with the Gulf during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its efforts to maintain ties with both Russia and Europe, China is having to wade through conflicting interests and rapidly changing sentiments.

Xi Jinping will try to beef up Global South relations in 2023, but weary Chinese and the business sector need pandemic restrictions to end, says Yu Jie.

Indonesia won’t always see eye-to-eye with the West, or with China, which makes it an important balancing force in Asia.

China’s latest grand concept, the Global Development Initiative (GDI), claims to be making sustainability a key feature of the programme.

The inaugural episode of our new podcast examines the latest developments surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Xi Jinping’s political report from the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

Political report reflects a worsened economic and diplomatic position as Xi knows his unprecedented third term as leader will be judged on results.

The increased role of geopolitics and ideology in Beijing’s economic decision-making is bad news not just for China but for the world.

Xi opens the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party with a political report which demonstrates both change and continuity in the approach of his leadership.

In the final article of three on the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress, which opens on 16 October, Yu Jie argues that Beijing must show more pragmatism about Taiwan and the West.

Scaling back infrastructure plans and investment in the Global South could cause China problems, says Yu Jie.

Find out about the 13 articles in the May issue of International Affairs

Drawing on his recent article in International Affairs, Rafał Ulatowski analyzes Germany’s strategy on China and its implications for the wider Indo-Pacific.

Cynthia Liao on why development infrastructure projects need greater female input

Despite promising signs of a continuing global economic recovery in 2022, the African debt situation remains worrying.

How are states responding to the US-China rivalry? And is competition preventing a coordinated global response to the pandemic and climate change?

John Kampfner argues the era of rivalry has tarnished both the American and Chinese brands as many countries around the world grow increasingly wary of choosing allegiances.

How is China’s engagement with Africa changing?

Prime Minister Kishida must strike a balance between his significant economic and geopolitical ambitions to achieve the unfulfilled regional aspirations of his predecessors.

John Kampfner outlines why suspicion between China and the US means the climate crisis will be tackled only if governments see policy gains in radical action.

Sharif Jamil on Bangladesh’s need for global help to counter climate change and pollution

China’s pursuit of trade partnerships is at odds with its high-octane rhetoric as it seeks to respond to the West’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

What has the COVID-19 pandemic revealed about the precarity of informal workers? And what is new about China’s latest economic strategy?

This episode provides an insight into how Tonga views the geopolitical struggle for power in the Indo-Pacific region.

After two decades as a member of the WTO, how has China’s approach to global economic governance enabled the country to achieve its core objectives?

Understanding the role of national and subnational institutions in determining China’s foreign policy is key to working with the country on major global issues.

Critics of the BRI accuse China of pursuing a policy of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: luring poor, developing countries into agreeing unsustainable loans to pursue infrastructure projects so that, when they experience financial difficulty, Beijing can seize the asset, thereby extending its strategic or military reach.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is having profound impacts on recipient countries. This paper examines the benefits and costs of the BRI and its projects to Sri Lanka and the lessons that may improve future BRI projects in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

In the first of a new annual series, Chatham House experts examine how aspects of the established order in global affairs are shifting.

Significant changes in how cement and concrete are produced and used are urgently needed to achieve deep cuts in emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.