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Belt and Road Initiative

Belt and Road Initiative
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.
last updated:
16 October, 2024
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Will Trump succeed in containing China – or fuel its rise?

Years of sanctions and blacklists have only forced China to adapt and even thrive, from making tech breakthroughs to expanding diplomatic clout.

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Pakistan

Exclusive | Pakistan to tap China’s capital markets with yuan-denominated panda bonds

China-Russia relations

How Western sanctions are driving a surge in China-Russia trade

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China-Africa relations

China gets major Nigeria rail project back on track by granting key loan

Chinese state lenders had pulled the plug on the Kaduna-Kano project in 2020, but have greenlit new financing on commercial terms.

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Trains are parked along the Lagos-Ibadan railway in Nigeria, one of several rail projects China has funded in the country. Photo: Xinhua
Sri Lanka

With eyes on China and India, Sri Lanka lifts ban on foreign research vessels

The decision reflects Colombo’s efforts to stay non-aligned as it juggles India’s security concerns with China’s growing influence.

War and conflict

Opinion | China can help Syria transform from conflict corridor to bridge of commerce

An inclusive, tolerant Syria and a China-led grand coalition to rebuild and revive the economy could see regional strife give way to prosperity.

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Pakistan

Protests over power outages in Pakistan disrupt China trade

The blockade, which began over the weekend, is impacting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a key initiative for boosting bilateral trade and investment.

Trucks lie stranded along the Karakoram Highway, blocked by residents during a sit-in protest against power outages at Hunza Valley, in Pakistan’s mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region, on January 6, 2025. Photo: AFP
Pakistan

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.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Rising ‘United States of Eurasia’ will need a development bank to support it

From Eurasia’s vast potential to growing new development banks, emerging market economies are carrying more weight in a global economy.

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US-China relations

Trump’s pick of Rubio as top US diplomat leaves Latin America bracing

Long-time outspoken China critic raises concerns in region he might press governments to choose sides between Washington and Beijing.

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Donald Trump and Marco Rubio share the stage at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 4, a day before the former US president won a second term. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

China’s health bonds with key African partner Djibouti grow closer over TCM

After cataract surgeries, focus turns to TCM to treat nerve paralysis or car crash victims, and lesser known mosquito-borne viruses.

China’s partnership with Djibouti has expanded with new agreements, including a focus on diseases like dengue fever, which is carried by mosquitoes. Photo: Shutterstock
China-Africa relations

Could Red Sea crisis muddy the waters for Chinese businesses in Djibouti?

Djibouti’s key location has buoyed Chinese firms in ports and transport, but some fear the Red Sea crisis may not be all silver lining.

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Ukraine war

Russia’s overheated economy is squeezing one of its key China trading channels

Investment in Russia’s railways is to be slashed by nearly a third, complicating trade with China, state media reported.

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Global South

Opinion | China’s ties with Global South show a different world order is possible

With an emphasis on equity and sustainability, Beijing’s cooperation with developing countries goes beyond mere infrastructure projects.

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Engineers from China and Tanzania talk about a project to upgrade a port in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on July 8, 2020. Photo: Xinhua
China-Africa relations

‘Genuinely popular’: how Africa’s positive opinion of China goes beyond the elite

Public views of China in sub-Saharan countries are overwhelmingly positive, Asia Society survey shows.

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A gardener at work under a Belt and Road Forum installation in Beijing in late 2023. Years of funding and building megaprojects under its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative has also seen China build a positive view of itself among the African people. Photo: AP
Hong Kong politics

Xi’s speech tasks Macau and Hong Kong with ‘one country, two systems’ mission

Both cities should take greater advantage of governing principle and convince world of its global appeal, president says at leader’s inauguration.

China’s military drills

China, Pakistan wrap up counterterror drills amid concerns over attacks

More than 300 PLA troops took part in the exercise, which was held as Beijing is pressing Islamabad to do more to protect Chinese nationals.

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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake makes first overseas trip to India – is China a factor?

The visit by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to New Delhi is seen as a move by Colombo to seek India’s support for debt-laden Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Kazakhstan

Opinion | Hong Kong and Xinjiang could be the core of Kazakhstan’s China strategy

As the centre of global economic activity shifts from West to East, strengthening ties with China will remain one of Kazakhstan’s top priorities.

Defence

Opinion | Why China’s outreach to Central Asia will only grow

Amid increasing investments and a greater emphasis on security, China’s presence in Central Asia differs from its outreach to other regions.

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

To expand TCM use, China to train 1,300 practitioners in belt and road nations

About 1,300 overseas health workers will be part of the first batch to learn about the approach.

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TCM research in China is waning, according to some online commenters who question the need to train people in other countries. Photo: Getty Images
Digital currencies

Hong Kong’s crypto faithful favour local regulations, fear ‘unpredictable’ Trump

The chair of the Silk Road Economic Development Research Centre said the city still has a chance to lead in Web3 in the next decade.

Some still see room for Hong Kong to be a global leader in cryptocurrency, even as momentum shifts to the US in anticipation of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. Photo: Shutterstock
Kyrgyzstan

How a new railway will extend China’s reach into Central Asia

The 523km line linking China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan could eventually be extended to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe.

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Nepal

Nepal’s PM Oli strengthens ties with China, bypassing India

While Oli secured a framework agreement and cash help, his coalition government grapples with debt fears and balancing ties with both China and India.

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SCO

Xinjiang eyes closer ties with Pakistan and Central Asia to offset US sanctions

Far west region boosts role as belt and road gateway by opening Pakistan border for the winter and growing ties with Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu.

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Khunjerab port, the sole border crossing connecting China and Pakistan, will remain open through the winter starting this year. Photo: Weibo/光影小帧
Xi Jinping

China’s Xi calls for the protection of belt and road interests overseas

In ‘new phase’, belt and road projects need risk control and a mechanism to protect the interests of host countries, Xi says.

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China’s President Xi Jinping. Photo: AFP
Joe Biden

Biden arrives in Angola for his long-awaited sub-Saharan Africa visit

US president will use the three-day trip to counter China’s influence by highlighting an ambitious US-backed railway project.

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China economy

Opinion | In a world of tariff threats, China opts to share green tech dividends

China’s ‘new trio’ of EVs, lithium-ion batteries and solar panels represents the trickling down of tech dividends to people across the world.

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