Entries tagged "Belt & Road"

  • Kazakhstan Aspires to Become Modern Transit Hub | June 19, 2018, 8:28 a.m.

    According to Kazakhstan’s minister for investments and development, Zhenis Kassymbek, in an age of economic globalization, the country must balance the competing interests of East and West if it is to become a preeminent transit hub in the region.

  • Chinese Infrastructure Spending Slows | June 15, 2018, 9:39 a.m.

    Growth in China's investment faltered last month as the government strengthened its crackdown on shady off-books financing, drying up funding for infrastructure. A clear drop in infrastructure spending led the decline with year-on-year improvement in this category falling three points in the past year.

  • Indonesia Eyes Status as Maritime Hub | June 14, 2018, 9:56 a.m.

    Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo, is pushing to turn the country into a fulcrum of maritime trade along China’s Belt and Road initiative with a $50.6 billion plan to build up the maritime sector, including the development of 24 "strategic ports."

  • View All Analysis | June 13, 2018, 9:59 a.m.

    Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the Competing Visions of Japan, India, and other regional powers, and the stakes for U.S. policy.

  • AIIB, ADB Point to Cooperation | June 13, 2018, 9:52 a.m.

    Executives from the ADB and AIIB converged on The Future of Asia conference in Tokyo to discuss how their banks complement, rather than compete with one another.

  • Mongolia Affirms BRI | June 11, 2018, 9:06 a.m.

    As the Mongolian government works to build the Mongolia-Russia-China economic corridor, the country's former prime minister, Sukhbaatar Batbold, believes China's Belt and Road Initiative could help regional infrastructure, trade, and investment and accelerate economic growth.

  • Malaysia Rethinks China Infrastructure Deals | June 6, 2018, 10:09 a.m.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will send his finance minister to Beijing to renegotiate several infrastructure contracts following the discovery of three Chinese-funded and built projects where payments were made based on agreed time milestones and not work completed.

  • Cambodia to Revitalize Rail Infrastructure Amid $4B Debt Concerns | June 5, 2018, 10:32 a.m.

    Cambodia is set to complete an ambitious rail project next week from Poipet to Phnom Penh, connecting the country from North to South for the first time in 45 years. However, substantial Chinese involvement in the project has raised concerns over high levels of debt owed to China, which some estimates place as high as $4 billion, or 20 percent of Cambodia's GDP.

  • Malaysia Rethinks Costly Infrastructure Projects | June 1, 2018, 10:28 a.m.

    Malaysia's decision to cancel the high-speed rail from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore suggests that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's new government may reevaluate other costly Chinese-led projects to cut the country's debt, Nikkei reports.

  • Southeast Asia Financial Integration and Infrastructure Investment | May 30, 2018, 9:52 a.m.

    This report highlights recommendations on how the U.S. might effectively engage Southeast Asia's infrastructure challenges to foster greater stability and financial integration in the region.

  • Malaysia Terminates Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Rail | May 29, 2018, 10:34 a.m.

    Prime Minister Mahathir cancelled a proposed high-speed railway project that would have connected Kuala Lumpur with Singapore on Monday, citing the overall cost of the project as a primary concern. Mahathir's predecessor signed a legally-binding deal with his counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, in December 2016 as a symbol of closer bilateral cooperation which will now require negotiating a $125 million penalty for pulling out.

  • The Belt and Road’s Biggest Impact | May 29, 2018, 9:30 a.m.

    Even if Belt and Road investment declines in the future, whether for political or economic reasons, the influence of Chinese constructors and planners on regional markets will continue to be apparent, from the alignment of high-speed railways in Indonesia to the design of residential and commercial developments in city centers.

  • BRI Opens to Foreign Investment | May 18, 2018, 10:17 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road Initiative has begun attracting international investors and financial institutions through the issuance of BRI-branded corporate bonds and other BRI-related products.

  • The Clouds Gathering around China's Belt and Road | May 16, 2018, 9:25 a.m.

    China's President Xi Jinping promised that his Belt and Road Initiative would be a "plan in the sunshine." But the BRI's outlook is darkening as some actual and potential partners raise concerns about transparency, debt sustainability, and even China's underlying strategic aims.

  • China's BRI Extends into Finance | May 15, 2018, 10:10 a.m.

    The Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges bought 450 million shares of Bangladesh's main exchange, beating India's bid. The exchanges allow Chinese investors to access funds for overseas infrastructure projects and strengthen financial cooperation for the BRI, a goal stated by both exchanges.

  • China's Premier Invites Japanese Businesses to Join BRI | May 11, 2018, 10:33 a.m.

    During his four-day visit to Japan, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang touted China's Belt and Road Initiative at a reception hosted by Japanese business leaders, inviting businesses to join Belt and Road projects and to promote bilateral cooperation.

  • Gaining Steam on the Eurasian Economic Union's Railways | May 9, 2018, 10:30 a.m.

    Quotes and Quotas is a weekly digest of powerful phrases and facts that help explain Asia’s infrastructure push.

  • HK Company Invests $600M in Thai Port | May 9, 2018, 9:06 a.m.

    In anticipation of a big trade increase along the BRI's Eastern Economic Corridor, Hong Kong-based Hutchinson Port Holdings has invested $600 million to open a new high-tech, fully automated terminal at Thailand's largest commercial port this June.

  • In Pakistan, Tax Amnesty to Aid CPEC | May 8, 2018, 9:55 a.m.

    Pakistan is offering an ambitious tax amnesty program which it hopes will help the country borrow $60 billion from China and commercial sources for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

  • ADB Pressed on Belt & Road, Quality Infrastructure | May 7, 2018, 10:10 a.m.

    The Asian Development Bank hosted its annual meeting on May 3, during which representatives from China and Japan lobbied the bank about future lending strategies.

  • Sovereign Funds Target Infrastructure | May 4, 2018, 9:08 a.m.

    Sovereign wealth funds have increased their asset holdings to an all-time global high.

  • Ports Under Heaven | May 3, 2018, 9:29 a.m.

    A close look at the characteristics of China's port projects in the Indo-Pacific suggests that rather than resulting in "win-win" economic prosperity, they are generating political leverage, increasing Beijing’s military presence, and reshaping the strategic operating environment in China’s favor.

  • India’s North-South Corridor Looks to Eurasia | April 25, 2018, 9:30 a.m.

    India's International North-South Transport Corridor involves India's investments in Iran, such as the Chabahar Port and the planned rail project from Chabahar to the Iranian city of Zahedan. The 7,000 kilometer corridor, which has been called an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative, will bypass Pakistan and connect India with Russia, potentially transforming Eurasian trade.

  • India Wary of New China Corridor | April 20, 2018, 9:09 a.m.

    India is likely to object to China's proposal to construct a trans-Himalayan trilateral economic corridor through Nepal, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Asia’s Infrastructure Contest | April 17, 2018, 4:54 p.m.

    The tug of war between quantity and quality is now at the center of Asia’s infrastructure contest.

  • Japan Pledges Conditional BRI Support | April 17, 2018, 10:31 a.m.

    Following a high-level economic dialogue in Tokyo this week, Japan has said that it will support China’s flagship foreign policy initiative, the Belt and Road, provided that it prioritizes the fiscal health of developing countries.

  • Report Launch: China’s Maritime Silk Road | April 16, 2018, 12:14 p.m.

    A panel of CSIS experts unpack the economic and geostrategic implications of China’s infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific region under the Maritime Silk Road, the littoral component of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

  • China's Development Loan Data Shows Risks | April 16, 2018, 10:34 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road strategy favors countries with low credit scores, according to Nikkei Asian Review's latest data analysis.

  • China, Russia battle for North Pole supremacy | April 11, 2018, 9:24 a.m.

    As Arctic sea ice steadily shrinks and temperatures rise, Russia and China compete for control of newly accessible natural resources and transportation routes while cooperating to finance the development of resource extraction and transportation infrastructure.

  • China’s American Hubris | April 10, 2018, 9:14 a.m.

    China’s $1 trillion push to build infrastructure across Asia evokes romantic comparisons to the ancient Silk Road, but there is a more recent chapter of history that urges caution. More than a century and a half ago, the United States was a rising power racing westward, building transcontinental railways that delivered limited benefits and exacted a high cost from society. Today, China has taken on that role.

  • China, Singapore Sign BRI Deal | April 9, 2018, 9:51 a.m.

    Singapore has signed an agreement with China to strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to expand the city-state's involvement in massive infrastructure projects led by Chinese companies.

  • China’s $1T Plan to Dominate Global Trade | April 9, 2018, 8:56 a.m.

    China has embarked on the most ambitious infrastructure project in modern world history. It’s called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and it’s how China plans to become the world’s next superpower.

  • China Develops Bangladesh Industrial Zone | April 4, 2018, 9:56 a.m.

    As part of the push to improve infrastructure connectivity throughout Asia, China will develop a 750-acre logistics park in Bangladesh, adding to the nearly $10 billion Chinese investment in the country.

  • China’s Maritime Silk Road | April 3, 2018, 9 a.m.

    Seven CSIS experts unpack the economic and geostrategic implications of China’s infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific region under the Maritime Silk Road.

  • Is China's Belt and Road Working? | March 28, 2018, 9:29 a.m.

    A special report by Nikkei Asian Review and The Banker which leverages data from the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project has found that China's Belt and Road initiative holds considerable promise for countries in need of infrastructure investment along its route, however, participation has been hampered by challenges ranging from a lack of participation by local workers and banks to unmanageable debt hangovers.

  • China's Shrewd Bet on Intercontinental Rail | March 28, 2018, 7:58 a.m.

    A recent report from the Reconnecting Asia Project suggests intercontinental rail will not likely capture enough trade to fundamentally change Eurasia's broader economic picture.

  • What Is an Economic Corridor? | March 27, 2018, 9 a.m.

    As Asia’s powers advance plans for a number of economic corridors to connect the continent, it is important to understand what exactly an economic corridor entails.

  • Traveling China's Economic Belt from Yiwu to London | March 22, 2018, 10:11 a.m.

    The New Silk Road Project will travel 10,000 miles across China’s Economic Belt from London to Yiwu to investigate the people, projects, countries, and landscapes involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative.

  • Philippines to issue bonds to fund Belt and Road | March 20, 2018, 10:15 a.m.

    Philippines to issue $230 million worth of yuan-denominated bonds that can be used for budget spending and Belt and Road projects. It will be the first Southeast Asia borrower to issue the so-called panda bond.

  • PM Lee: ASEAN Should Leverage Regional Initiatives | March 13, 2018, 11:06 a.m.

    On Tuesday, Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to better leverage infrastructure and development opportunities provided by regional initiatives such as the Belt and Road and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

  • Japanese Freight Service Joins BRI | March 12, 2018, 9:03 a.m.

    Japanese trading house Itochu is launching a freight transport service linking Japan and Europe via China.

  • The Return of Marco Polo's World | March 12, 2018, 9 a.m.

    As Europe disappears, Asia coheres. The supercontinent is becoming one fluid, comprehensible unit of trade and conflict, as the Westphalian system of states weakens and older, imperial legacies – Russian, Chinese, Iranian, Turkish – become paramount.

  • China Increases Funding for the BRI | March 7, 2018, 8:28 a.m.

    Chinese officials have announced increased financial support for the country's Belt and Road Initiative.

  • The Rise of China-Europe Railways | March 6, 2018, 9:46 a.m.

    Just 10 years ago, regular direct freight services from China to Europe did not exist. Today, they connect roughly 35 Chinese cities with 34 European cities. But despite their rapid advances, these lines must compete with maritime routes that have dominated commerce between Asia and Europe since the late fifteenth century. It remains to be seen how much trade they can capture.

  • China Reconnects with The Balkans | Feb. 22, 2018, 1:51 p.m.

    China is not a newcomer to the Western Balkans. Beijing is leveraging historical ties with the region to connect with willing collaborators and use its newfound political capital.

  • China's "Polar Silk Road" Alters Balance of Power | Feb. 16, 2018, 10:03 a.m.

    China's recently-announced "Polar Silk Road" has the potential to redraw the region's geopolitical map, writes one contributor for the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Greece Looks to Diversify Infrastructure Partners | Feb. 15, 2018, 10:54 a.m.

    Greek Deputy PM says that Athens wants closer ties with other Asian countries too, not just China.

  • The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Three Years Later | Feb. 12, 2018, 1:25 p.m.

    Nearly three years into CPEC, a number of projects have moved forward at breakneck speed, yet costs remain high and political rivalries still threaten to derail progress.

  • The Belt and Road’s Barriers to Participation | Feb. 7, 2018, 8:49 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road initiative has enjoyed relatively rapid and wide support, particularly in Asia. However, its political future depends on implementation and delivering economic results. To sustain support, China should be looking for opportunities to broaden participation.

  • China Launches the Polar Silk Road | Feb. 5, 2018, 4:17 p.m.

    China’s interest in the Arctic seems to be driven by potential energy, commercial, and geopolitical benefits, but each comes with a caveat.