Entries tagged "Belt & Road"

  • Gwadar: China's Potential Strategic Strongpoint in Pakistan | Sept. 28, 2020, 11:21 a.m.

    This case study of Gwadar port, part of a series on China’s Indian Ocean “strategic strongpoints” (战略支点), reveals that while Gwadar may one day serve as a major platform for China’s economic, diplomatic, and military interactions across the region, as of August 2020 it remains largely underdeveloped and underutilized.

  • Becoming a Chinese Client State | Sept. 24, 2020, 12:53 p.m.

    This report examines Chinese economic activities in Serbia to shed light on China’s political and economic objectives, its mechanisms for influence, and the implications of its activities, including a second wave of digital infrastructure projects.

  • Pakistan: Taliban Threatens CPEC | Sept. 9, 2020, 8:26 a.m.

    Pakistan's leading Taliban group has announced the reunification of several breakaway factions which experts believe could pose risks to Chinese-funded projects along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including the Karakoram Highway Phase II, the Suki Kinari Hydropower Station, and the Havelian Dry Port, Nikkei reports.

  • Belt, Road, and Beyond | Sept. 8, 2020, 9 a.m.

    In March 2021, CSIS will host a Master’s-level introduction to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The course will explain what the BRI is, what it is not, and how it is impacting commercial and strategic realities on the ground.

  • Pakistanis Protest Chinese Fishing | Sept. 1, 2020, 8:19 a.m.

    Fishermen at Pakistan's Gwadar Port, part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, are protesting an incoming fleet of 20 Chinese deep-sea trawlers off Sindh and Baluchistan provinces which they fear could further deplete Pakistan's dwindling marine resources, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S. Sanctions BRI Construction SOE | Aug. 28, 2020, 9:14 a.m.

    The U.S. has blacklisted one of the Belt and Road Initiative's largest construction companies, the Chinese state-owned enterprise China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC), and its subsidiaries for its role in building artificial islands in the contested waters of the South China Sea, Nikkei reports.

  • China Pushes CPEC via Afghanistan | Aug. 25, 2020, 8:18 a.m.

    Pakistan has reopened two closed border crossings and opened three new ones with Afghanistan at China's urging in a move that experts believe is intended to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, Nikkei reports.

  • Pakistan: China Re-ups $2B Coal Plant | Aug. 20, 2020, 11:01 a.m.

    Beijing has relaunched a $2 billion coal mine and power project in southeastern Pakistan amid rising tensions with Austalia, China's largest source of imported coal.

  • Greece Courts Chinese Investment | Aug. 18, 2020, 9:20 a.m.

    Amid economic contraction, Greece’s government has increasingly turned to China for investment in power transmission, an underwater link, and the seaport of Piraeus, Nikkei reports.

  • Turkish Sovereign Wealth Fund Courts BRI | Aug. 13, 2020, 9:09 a.m.

    Turkey's Sovereign Wealth Fund is looking to China for investment in a number of major infrastructure projects and to tie Turkey into China's Belt and Road Initiative much more deeply, Nikkei reports.

  • Chinese Investment Threatens Bangladesh-India Relations | Aug. 12, 2020, 9:05 a.m.

    Bangladesh has described their relationship with China and the Belt & Road Initiative as solely "economic diplomacy," but China's expanding trade and investment in the country also threatens to undermine Indian influence, Nikkei reports.

  • Pakistan Approves $6.8B CPEC Rail | Aug. 6, 2020, 9:15 a.m.

    Pakistan's top economic body on Wednesday authorized a $6.8 billion railway upgrade, its costliest project to date as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Nikkei reports.

  • Belarus BRI Support Declines | July 17, 2020, 9:52 a.m.

    Public support for China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is declining in Belarus amid protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been a proponent of the Chinese initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • China and Russia: Economic Unequals | July 15, 2020, 12:02 p.m.

    Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are attempting to put economics at the center of their strategic partnership, but a closer look at four dimensions of China-Russia connectivity reveals a partnership of unequals that will become even more lopsided in the future.

  • Hidden Harbors: China’s State-backed Shipping Industry | July 8, 2020, 3:05 p.m.

    China's state-owned and private companies are increasingly dominant across the global maritime supply chain, aided by an opaque system of formal and informal government support that is unrivaled in both its scale and scope.

  • China Funds Pakistan Hydropower Deal | July 6, 2020, 8:05 a.m.

    China, Pakistan and the Kohala Hydropower Company, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation, have signed a $2.4 billion deal for the construction of a 1,124-megawatt hydropower plant in disputed Kashmir, Nikkei reports.

  • Attack on BRI in Pakistan | June 29, 2020, 9:02 a.m.

    Eight people were killed Monday when members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is openly opposed to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange following the recent acquisition of a 40 percent stake in the Exchange by Chinese investors, Nikkei reports.

  • China Completes Satellite Project | June 24, 2020, 9:05 a.m.

    China has completed its Beidou satellite system, its answer to the U.S.-based Global Positioning System (GPS), advancing Beijing's effort to cut its reliance on U.S. technology, Nikkei reports. China has exported Beidou products to 120 countries as part of it's Belt and Road Initiative.

  • Pakistan Cuts BRI Budget | June 19, 2020, 10:02 a.m.

    Pakistan has reduced its annual allocation to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from $241 million last year to $159 million in the budget running to June 2021, Nikkei reports.

  • Coronavirus stalls Belt and Road Projects | June 17, 2020, 7:01 a.m.

    A new report released by analytics company Refinitiv on Tuesday showed a 15.6% drop in the number of new BRI projects announced in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2019. The value of the projects slid from $386.08 billion to $137.43 billion over the same period, Nikkei reports.

  • Nepal Weighs U.S., China Aid | June 11, 2020, 7:09 a.m.

    U.S. promises of aid to Nepal have some political officials there worried that such aid could damage the country's blossoming relations with China and its Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • Indonesia Brings Japan into Rail Project | June 8, 2020, 6:56 a.m.

    The Indonesian government has begun discussions on possible Japanese participation in a planned high-speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung, hoping to spur progress on the delayed Chinese-led project as costs mount, Nikkei reports.

  • Laos Struggles with China Debt | June 1, 2020, 6:54 a.m.

    The coronavirus pandemic could have serious impacts on economic growth in Laos, which is already struggling due to significant debt taken on to finance a large range of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, Nikkei reports.

  • China-Indonesia Rail Faces Delay | May 29, 2020, 6:48 a.m.

    Indonesia plans to extend the tracks of the $6 billion Jakarta-Bandung rail project being built with China to ensure economic viability, but is facing a one year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nikkei reports.

  • Standoff at India-China Border | May 28, 2020, 9:09 a.m.

    Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a military confrontation at the Himalayan border, triggered in part by India's construction of roads and airstrips in response to China's Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • View All Analysis | May 26, 2020, 10:21 a.m.

    Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the world's evolving digital infrastructure competition, and the stakes for U.S. policy.

  • Trading for Influence? | May 26, 2020, 9:17 a.m.

    While much attention has been focused on economic coercion, inducements have also played an important role in China’s toolkit. Ramping up U.S. efforts at bilateral and multilateral economic engagement would provide more credible or appealing alternatives.

  • China to Build Dam in Kashmir | May 26, 2020, 9:06 a.m.

    Pakistan has entered a joint contract venture with China to build a dam in Kashmir, increasing the country's financial ties to China and igniting new tensions with India, Nikkei reports.

  • Pakistan Bans Party Critical of CPEC | May 21, 2020, 9:05 a.m.

    Pakistan has outlawed a political party critical of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative, signaling the country's strong ties to Beijing, Nikkei reports.

  • Sri Lanka Hikes China Debt | May 15, 2020, 9:10 a.m.

    Sri Lanka's decision to borrow a further $80 million from Beijing to finance road improvements has drawn criticism due to the country's already high levels of debt to China, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI Rails Get a Boost | May 11, 2020, 9:28 a.m.

    Supply chain disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have increased traffic along China-Europe rail lines, which Beijing has promoted heavily under its Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • SE Asia BRI Projects Stalled | May 5, 2020, 8:49 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road infrastructure projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia have come to a standstill as countries prioritize fighting COVID-19, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI in Africa at Risk | May 1, 2020, 9:19 a.m.

    Plunging oil, copper, and mineral prices could threaten China's $200 billion in investments and loans in Africa, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI Debt Concerns Rise in Djibouti | April 27, 2020, 9:48 a.m.

    Djibouti has become a linchpin in China's Belt and Road Initiative, but the U.S. is concerned that the financial toll of Covid-19 may increase Djibouti's risk of falling into a "debt trap" created by high-levels of Chinese lending, Nikkei reports.

  • China’s “Hub-and-Spoke” Strategy in the Balkans | April 27, 2020, 6:42 a.m.

    This report assesses Chinese economic activities in the Western Balkans based on open-source data collected by CSIS and identifies key trends and China’s main avenues of influence.

  • COVID Slows BRI Workers, Materials | April 14, 2020, 1:54 p.m.

    The economic costs of the Covid-19 outbreak may limit the influence of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as the virus halts the flow of workers and materials for BRI projects outside of China, Nikkei reports.

  • A ‘China Model?’ Beijing’s Promotion of Alternative Global Norms and Standards | April 13, 2020, 9 a.m.

    Beijing’s willingness to start new international institutions underscores its global ambitions and adds weight to its rhetoric about creating an alternative order, but it would be a mistake to exaggerate their current scale and effectiveness.

  • The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at Five | April 2, 2020, 9:55 a.m.

    The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that was officially launched in April 2015, promised transformational gains. The CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project collected open-source data to analyze the initiative's progress five years later.

  • BRI Stays ASEAN-Focused Amid COVID | April 2, 2020, 9:24 a.m.

    China says that the Belt and Road Initiative will not be impacted by COVID-19, and has continued to commit to new infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia. While experts suggest that China's slowing economy will lead the Chinese government to prioritize domestic spending, Southeast Asia is likely to remain a focus for Chinese investment, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI Sees COVID Impacts in C. Asia | April 1, 2020, 11:04 a.m.

    Central Asia, a region at the heart of China's Belt and Road Initiative, has been sharply affected by the economic downturn in China and falling energy prices due to the global spread of the COVID-19 epidemic while country-level responses to the virus have varied widely, Nikkei reports.

  • China Pushes Health Diplomacy along BRI | March 30, 2020, 10:15 a.m.

    The president of Serbia recently greeted a Chinese medical team arriving to assist the fight against COVID-19, underscoring Beijing's diplomatic efforts to give aid and advice to countries participating in its Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • China's "Health Silk Road" Gets a Boost from COVID-19 | March 27, 2020, 9 a.m.

    While the COVID-19 epidemic has spread along the routes of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), those same corridors are being used to provide medical support as Beijing attempts to position itself as a global leader in healthcare—a move which Chinese President Xi Jinping calls the “Health Silk Road.”

  • Xi Suggests Health Silk Road | March 25, 2020, 9:12 a.m.

    President Xi Jinping recently floated the idea of creating a "health silk road" paralleling the Belt and Road, which could further China's "mask diplomacy" efforts to provide medical supplies abroad and portray itself as a provider of international public goods. However, experts note that disinformation efforts by Chinese officials about COVID-19 are prompting pushback and could hinder such efforts.

  • Pakistan Signs New CPEC MoUs | March 23, 2020, 9:17 a.m.

    Pakistan and China recently signed new memorandums of understanding (MoUs) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during President Arif Alvi's visit to China, but experts doubt China's willingness to substantially increase economic assistance to Pakistan, including to combat the coronavirus outbreak, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S. Postpones ASEAN Summit | March 13, 2020, 9:22 a.m.

    As the coronavirus necessitates greater emphasis on cooperation between the U.S. and China, some experts worry that Washington’s decision to postpone the U.S.-ASEAN summit following a period of perceived disengagement risks pushing Southeast Asian countries further toward China and delays discussions on critical topics, including the U.S. rival to the BRI, Nikkei reports.

  • China's BRI Spurs Digital Yen | March 10, 2020, 9:19 a.m.

    Japanese lawmakers are pushing for the development of a digital yen in response to concerns that China could set international standards for digital currency technology, aided by the prevalence of the Belt and Road in countries with developing financial systems, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI Faces Criticism in Laos | March 5, 2020, 10:27 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road investments are facing public criticism in Laos as Chinese-built hydropower plants disrupt the local fishing industry. Some Chinese agricultural businesses have also been accused of poor labor and environmental standards while the IMF and other organizations have flagged the risk of debt distress in the country, Nikkei reports.

  • China’s Grid Plan Causes Concerns | March 3, 2020, 10:31 a.m.

    Beijing is pushing for what it calls Global Energy Interconnection, a vision of a multi-trillion-dollar worldwide electricity network, which presents an opportunity for emerging economies experiencing power shortages but also the risk of vulnerability and insecurity, Nikkei reports.

  • In the Shadow of the Belt and Road | March 3, 2020, 9:26 a.m.

    The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), stretching from the eastern coast of India to Europe via Iran, Russia, and the Caspian region, has been plagued by financial and political difficulties but its economic impact could be transformative if ever fully realized.

  • The Great Railway Game | March 2, 2020, 12:40 p.m.

    A flurry of recent diplomatic activity highlights the multilateral and multi-stakeholder footing of Eurasia's North-South trade and transport initiatives. While significant economic and political challenges remain, they retain the potential to transform Eurasia's economic landscape.