Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

For all its attendant controversies, Beijing's focus on transport infrastructure is closely aligned with the region's development priorities.

With U.S. aid diminished, it seems unlikely that China will fill the gap. Beijing favors investments in infrastructure over civil society.

While free trade has become politically infeasible in Washington, there are other ways to shore up the U.S. presence in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.

The country's experience highlights both the transformative potential of Chinese investment and the challenges that risk undermining Beijing’s credibility.

The case of CMEC and other Chinese business activities in Myanmar show how exposed China is to escalating conflict risks, and offer insight to the role it is playing in the ongoing civil war. 

Interviews offer first-hand insights into how the Chinese people perceive the BRI and its global and domestic implications.

Gwadar and Chabahar emerge as more than ports – they are strategic battlegrounds where economic ambitions, regional and global power collide.

To truly counter China’s Belt and Road, the G-7 needs a new development business model with the Global South.

China’s growing footprint in South and Central Asia has been made possible by the influx of grants, loans, mergers, and economic concessions for projects.

The country has traditionally relied on the U.S. for economic and strategic support, but Beijing is rapidly making in-roads.

Intense competition, epitomized by competing “corridors,” is emerging in Asia and beyond between the U.S., China, and Russia. 

For decades, the Chinese economy has soared. This has allowed mass investment in projects worldwide, but the question remains if it was worth it.