TOPIC

Belt and Road: Comment

Belt and Road: Comment
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
An aerial view of the No 1 booster station of the Ningxia Power Investment Yongli (Zhongwei) 3-megawatt photovoltaic green power project, in Shapotou district, Zhongwei city, Ningxia. It was officially connected to the grid and began power generation on October 25. Photo : Xinhua
China economy

Opinion | How China is cementing its central role as the architect of green tech

Beyond climate leadership and capacity building, China is rewriting its own energy system – and the global energy order.

videocam
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

videocam
Rohingya Muslims

Opinion | Why China should lead commission for a phased Rohingya repatriation

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Israeli strikes one more challenge for new China-Iran rail corridor

Weeks before the air strikes, a new overland trade route was launched that could help Iran evade sanctions and advance its regional ambitions.

videocam
People gather in Nobonyad Square, Tehran, after Israeli airstrikes on Iran on June 13. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

My Take | China counts on 3 strategies to survive US tariff and tech war

Beijing has come up with a game plan to overcome its internal and external threats, and navigate beyond Trump’s presidency.

4
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can seize opportunities along Silk Road Economic Belt

By deepening cooperation, the city can leverage its unique brand and core advantages to help businesses uncover new areas for growth.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China-Pakistan friendship will hold fast against all weather

Through fatal attacks on China interests in Pakistan and Islamabad’s debt crisis, both countries clung fast to their strategic partnership.

videocam
Chinese Premier Li Qiang with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 14. Photo: Xinhua
Climate change

Opinion | Cop29 can work with the Belt and Road Initiative for a greener future

Aligning climate action with major economic initiatives is essential to cutting emissions while promoting sustainable development.

videocam
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | To be a belt and road education hub, Hong Kong must teach in Mandarin

John Lee’s ‘Study in Hong Kong’ plan emphasises attracting students from belt and road countries. But it also implies controversial changes in universities.

videocam
19
Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s soft power is making its mark as US doubles down on military might

While the US seems focused on military alliances, Beijing is holding out a vision of economic collaboration and trust between civilisations.

videocam
11
Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (second left) attend the China-Africa Leaders’ Roundtable Dialogue on the last day of the Brics Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 24, 2023. Photo: AP
Belt and Road Initiative

China needs deterrent force to protect its expanding overseas interests: expert

Former PLA officer said worsening relations with the US and its allies have made the task more urgent.

videocam
20
Chinese troops stationed at China’s only overseas base in Djibouti take part in Ivory Coast’s 64th anniversary of independence celebrations. Photo: Facebook/Chinese Embassy, Ivory Coast
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Amid great power rivalry, middle powers are carving out new trade routes

It’s not just China – from India to Russia and the Middle East, states are collaborating over trade corridors as an alternative to US power structures.

videocam
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | How to stem terrorist attacks on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

China and Pakistan need better security and engagement with the Afghan Taliban to cut off terrorist attacks on the key Belt and Road Initiative project. China must also address local socioeconomic grievances.

videocam
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why are so many countries rethinking their relations with China?

With the pandemic waning and global conflicts reshaping geopolitics, some nations are reassessing their relationship with China. This rethink could threaten China’s global influence and further divide the world into opposing camps like in the Cold War.

videocam
43
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | How the US can counter China’s belt and road forays in the Indo-Pacific

US officials must assess the impact of projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung railway, especially environmentally and socially, to be able to offer convincing alternatives.

videocam
6
The Chinese-funded high-speed train “Whoosh” at Halim train station in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 17. Photo: EPA-EFE
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China’s Belt and Road Initiative rightly offers charity-free development

Free of the ‘white man’s burden’ to provide charity to poor countries, China’s infrastructure-focused model treats poor countries and their people as customers and business partners – a more respectful way of dealing with them.

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | US should join China in building a better Global South, not hinder it

Through the Belt and Road Initiative and trade, China is contributing to the development of the Global South. US efforts to counter China’s influence, on the other hand, are anachronistic and misguided.

videocam
7
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Belt and road’s focus on hard infrastructure to stay, whatever Beijing says

A professed shift in focus from hard infrastructure to ‘institutional connectivity’ is laudable but unlikely. The open nature of the belt and road deters efforts to shape it into a more binding platform, and Chinese companies are likely to cement their foothold in the industry by building more, not less.

videocam
Illustration: Stephen Case
Belt and Road Initiative

Macroscope | The West should work with China to build infrastructure – not against it

As the West starts to find its feet with financing for its infrastructure, it would be a pity if the largesse was used to compete with China, when the global scale of the challenge calls for cooperation.

videocam
30
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Abundant belt and road opportunities await Hong Kong, but is it ready?

Hong Kong can contribute substantially to the growing success of the Belt and Road Initiative and boost the city’s recovering economy – but first, it needs a concrete plan of action.

videocam
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China steps up climate fight with belt and road green finance partnership

This new partnership can match the fresh capital China is injecting into the Belt and Road Initiative with blended financing to identify and develop green projects in developing countries.

videocam
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and other leaders attending the Belt and Road Forum, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on October 18. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

Outside In | Tale of two railways: Indonesia’s high-speed Whoosh vs UK’s HS2 shambles

The failures of Britain’s HS2 stand in stark contrast to the successful launch of Indonesia’s belt and road railway. The West has much to learn from China in building future-critical infrastructure.

videocam
37
A section of the Colne Valley Viaduct as construction continues on the HS2 high-speed rail line in Denham, near London, on February 3. Photo: Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China’s belt and road success — Western narratives don’t do it justice

While a fuller assessment of this ambitious initiative will only be possible with time, its benefits so far cannot be denied. More importantly, the belt and road shows the rise of China has brought not colonial conquests or wars, but trade, tourism, infrastructure and economic growth.

videocam
6
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Western bias against China’s belt and road is hobbling climate action

As a green tech powerhouse, China can accelerate the Global South’s digital transition and foster a more sustainable model of economic growth. But the West remains obsessed with China’s perceived threat.

videocam
13
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | West’s attacks on China’s belt and road are futile

China’s infrastructure initiative has attracted criticism and inspired a cacophony of competing plans, including the G20’s economic corridor but fundamental needs are getting lost in the rush to conjure up new visions.

videocam
19
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Sustainability drive will colour the belt and road green in next decade

From banning overseas coal projects and issuing green investment guidelines to reviving the ‘health silk road’, China is reorienting its ambitious infrastructure plan in a greener, more sustainable direction.

videocam
An electric multiple unit high-speed train for a rail link project, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, arrives at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 2, 2022. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Macroscope | China is pushing for a better, more representative multilateralism

Reform of global economic governance has been slow amid US hegemony and industrial subsidies. China is now forging a better path with new banks and initiatives that secure the voices of the majority.

17
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)

Macroscope | As financial crises spread, China must shore up its belt and road plan

As the West heads for a period of financial fragility, China needs a stable Ukraine to bring its grand infrastructure project back to life – and change the balance of economic power.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement