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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Trains are parked along the Lagos-Ibadan railway in Nigeria, one of several rail projects China has funded in the country. Photo: Xinhua
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

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US-China relations

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

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China-Africa relations

As Chinese official visits, Kenya says deal to fund and build highway is close

Kenyan President Ruto says talks are at a late stage for China to finance and build highway through Rift Valley and possible SGR extension.

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Li Xi, a member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee meets Kenyan President William Ruto at State House Nairobi on Monday. Photo: Office of Kenya President
Banking & finance

Southeast Asia, Middle East eye deeper business ties with Hong Kong

Belt and Road Summit: a deep talent pool and financial and legal acumen make the city an ideal partner for development in the two regions.

Belt and Road Initiative

Hong Kong to tout strengths in dispute resolution at Southeast Asia roadshows

Justice secretary Paul Lam to lead another delegation to Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia to promote the city’s ‘unique advantages’.

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China-Africa relations

Chinese cement firms look to growing African markets to make up for woes at home

Major cement producers see higher prices – and profits – in countries such as DRC, Mozambique and Ethiopia amid China’s property crisis.

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In Ethiopia, the Addis Ababa urban renewal project highlights the need for cement in Africa, and opportunities for Chinese cement companies. Photo: AFP
China-Africa relations

Chinese firm says US$900,000 of gold stolen in armed attack on mine in Ghana

Workers including Chinese citizens were injured in the robbery in April and suspects have been detained, according to Beijing Xiaocheng.

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.

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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.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (second left) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (foreground, right) attend the ceremony to sign a four-way memorandum of understanding between Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE to cooperate in the Development Road project, in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 22. Photo: AP
Central Asia

China reaches deal on railway project linking it with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

The rail link, first proposed in the 1990s, will serve as a faster and cheaper alternative to current China-Europe land routes, most of which travel through Russia.

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A China-Europe freight train leaves for Kazakhstan from Xian International Port in Shaanxi province in 2022. Photo: Xinhua
Pakistan

Pakistan pins its hopes on China – and a belt and road revival

Progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor stalled post-pandemic amid Pakistan’s ongoing economic difficulties, but Islamabad now detects ‘great interest on the Chinese side to revive the momentum’.

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.

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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.

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

Why China is turning to sci-tech in new action plan to boost belt and road

China’s president unveils a vision for the infrastructure strategy that could help other countries overcome Western restrictions.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of “advancing scientific and technological innovation” through cooperation with other belt and road partners. Photo: EPA-EFE
China-Africa relations

Kenya to ask China for US$1 billion, more time to pay debts, deputy president says

President William Ruto is expected to meet China’s Xi Jinping during a trip to Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum this month.

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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.

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Indonesia

Is Indonesia’s new high-speed railway worth the hype?

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Indonesia

Indonesia gets its China-backed ‘Whoosh’ high-speed railway rolling

The 142km railway has been beset with delays and cost overruns – and some observers doubt its commercial benefits – but President Joko Widodo has championed the US$7.3 billion project.

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Belt and Road Initiative

How are China’s belt and road plans for Southeast Asia working out, 10 years on?

Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative has not proved to be the ‘transformation game changer’ many in the region were hoping for, analysts say – as concerns grow about some projects’ viability and added value.

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Science

China-Italy nanotech helps repair Church of the Scalzi in Venice: paper

Research team studies nine different ways to consolidate marble stones with patented combination of methods used in church restoration project.

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The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth is the beneficiary of a method developed by Chinese and Italian researchers to treat marble stones damaged by time and the elements. Photo: Shutterstock
Belt and Road Initiative

‘Share in China’s growth’: top diplomat tells South Asia in belt and road push

South Asian countries welcome ‘to continue to ride on China’s development momentum’, Wang Yi tells event opening China-South Asia Expo in Kunming.

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Wang Yi says the economic bond between China and its southern neighbours could be made stronger by increasing connectivity under Beijing’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative. Photo: dpa
Indonesia

Indonesia delays opening of China-funded railway amid safety concerns

The delay of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway deals a fresh blow to President Joko Widodo’s flagship project that has already suffered land disputes, cost overruns and accidents.

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Belt and Road Initiative

China’s Belt and Road Initiative regains momentum

The value of deals signed in the first half of the year passed US$43 billion, with metals and mining seeing strong growth.

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China-Africa relations

China vows to aid Ethiopian recovery and boost ties with Kenya, Nigeria

China’s top diplomat makes a surprise stop in Addis Ababa and says Beijing is ‘willing to play a positive role in easing Ethiopia’s debt pressure’.

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meets senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi for talks during a surprise stop in Addis Ababa.
Indonesia

Indonesia’s China-funded high-speed railway hit with fresh problems

The 142km Jakarta-Bandung line being built by a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese state firms is already US$1.2 billion over budget and four years behind schedule.

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A high-speed train carries out a test run on the Jakarta-Bandung line in Tegalluar, Indonesia’s West Java province, last month. Photo: Antara Foto/Raisan Al Farisi via Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | What protests in Pakistan against Imran Khan’s arrest mean for China

Public anger at the previously sacrosanct institution of the army, which Beijing has close links with, could risk Chinese interests in Pakistan, including the belt and road ‘economic corridor’.

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China-Africa relations

Why Chinese players are taking private stakes in Africa’s new megaprojects

Ports in Nigeria and Cameroon illustrate how Chinese firms are shifting to ‘integrated investment, construction, and operation’ model.

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