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Belt and Road: The projects

Belt and Road: The projects
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.
Illustration: Brian Wang
Central Asia

China tests Central Asian land corridors to bypass maritime chokepoints

New Afghanistan link via Uzbekistan highlights diversification push, but critics ask if Taliban can ensure security for stable logistics.

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China-Africa relations

China’s port role in Africa extends far beyond docks: study

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China trade

China opens new Central Asia rail link to strengthen supply chain resilience

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China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

An aerial drone photo taken on April 13 shows a train of the China-Laos Railway, departing from Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan province, arriving in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua
China energy security

China powers up major Southeast Asian solar project amid Iran war shock

The installation boasts more than two million solar panels and comes online as global fossil fuels face unprecedented disruption.

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China trade

As high-speed railways saturate China, how far can their global reach extend?

As Chinese giants eye Eurasia for new infrastructure, analysts speculate on what it will take to keep overseas projects from going off the rails in different host nations.

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US-China relations

The options China could take to deal with ‘serious setback’ over Panama Canal

Beijing has a range of possible options after a contract given to Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison was voided by Panama’s Supreme Court.

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Donald Trump has vowed to regain control of the canal for the US and hit out at “Chinese control”. Photo: Reuters
China-Africa relations

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong charity expands public health efforts across belt and road countries

GX Foundation driving the ‘social dimension’ and wider impact of Chinese investment with dengue prevention and health programmes in Cambodia.

China-Latin America relations

Will Peru’s Chancay Port be the next ‘Panama moment’ for China?

The Chinese-invested facility is a flagship belt and road project in Latin America, a region the US sees as its backyard.

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Chancay Port in Peru is expected to become a hub of global trade. Photo: Xinhua
Rohingya Muslims

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

Given its Rakhine interests and diplomatic clout, Beijing could oversee a plan for return, ensuring security, rights and economic reintegration.

A security officer attempts to control Rohingya refugees waiting to receive aid in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on September 21, 2017. The persecution of the Rohingya Muslims that year forced more than a million of them to flee and seek refuge in other countries. Photo: Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

Ex-Ecuador president calls bribery case over belt and road dam a ‘farce’

Lenin Moreno says corruption accusations are a vendetta orchestrated by former president and rival Rafael Correa.

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Belt and Road Initiative

China drops latest trade anchor in Latin America with new service to Peru megaport

Chancay port, a flagship Belt and Road project, is set to welcome its first direct shipment from Suzhou under the new service.

Banking & finance

Qatari fund invests US$2 million in CK Asset-backed start-up Nexx

Doha-based Rasmal Ventures, backed by the Qatar Investment Authority, invests US$2 million in Hong Kong’s Nexx.

From left, Nexx Global’s CEO Oscar Hui, chairman Houston Huang and vice-chairman John Chan. Photo: Handout
Belt and Road Initiative

As China’s ‘Air Silk Road’ grows, can homegrown C909, C919 jets take off abroad?

Beijing plans to deepen civil aviation ties under the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting air connectivity and exporting Comac-made aircraft.

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This photo taken on March 4, 2024, shows a Chinese airplane C919 at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

China steps up Belt and Road Initiative funding with focus on Central Asia

The region received an ‘unusually high concentration’ of investment, particularly in metals and mining, new research has found.

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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.

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Indonesia

Will Indonesia’s Whoosh extension to Surabaya be derailed by Chinese debt?

With the current US$7.3 billion rail line not projected to break even for 40 years, analysts are urging caution on an extension.

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A high-speed train leaves Tegalluar Station on the Jakarta-Bandung “Whoosh” railway line in Indonesia on May 20. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Could a ‘more focused’ US gain an edge over China in Indonesian tech contest?

Although Jakarta has close economic ties with Beijing, a report says the push to boost its hi-tech economy could present openings for American firms.

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China-Africa relations

New Chinese funding plan will help extend railway to Uganda, Kenya says

Mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo is China’s ‘pot of gold’ at the end of the Standard Gauge Railway, analyst says.

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Hong Kong economy

Can Hong Kong’s Hutchison ride out storm over Panama ports deal after Beijing attack?

Experts say Hutchison, part of tycoon Li Ka-shing’s empire, is now caught in a dilemma and might end up being punished by both the United States and China.

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Hutchison Port Group has a 90 per cent stake in the Balboa and Cristobal docks at either end of the Panama Canal. Photo: AP
China-Russia relations

‘Big impact’: Russian goods seizures cause havoc on China-Europe rail link

Freight companies ‘dare not’ use the railway after Russia tightened sanctions and impounded huge volumes of Europe-bound cargo.

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The China-Europe Railway Express has been disrupted by a wave of Russian goods seizures since October, causing many companies to lose confidence in the service. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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China-Africa relations

China and the chocolate factory: Ivory Coast investment helps secure cocoa beans

If tonnes of beans go to China instead of Europe or US, chocolate makers in those regions will feel the loss, expert says.

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Pakistan

18 killed in Balochistan attack on Pakistan paramilitary

A vehicle carrying unarmed Frontier Corps paramilitaries ‘came under gunfire from 70 to 80 armed assailants who had blocked the road’.

Pakistani security officials stand guard at a checkpoint in Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan province, Pakistan, on January 6 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Thailand

Thailand’s fast train to China runs 9 years behind schedule

By 2030, the US$13 billion Thai network is expected to connect to the Laos-China high-speed railway via a bridge over the Mekong River.

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A train is seen in Vientiane, Laos, in 2021 during the handover ceremony of the high-speed railway linking it to the Chinese city of Kunming. Photo: Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

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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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.

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