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.

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.

$1.5 Billion Hambantota Port Attracts Business | Oct. 30, 2019, 9:25 a.m.

Commercial activity has increased at Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port since the controversial 2017 deal that gave China an 85% stake and 99-year lease, and China says it intends for the port to become a South Asia hub, Nikkei reports.

Experts: China's BRI Requires Global Norms | May 1, 2019, 9:19 a.m.

If China's push to build a massive, continent-spanning economic zone is to yield true benefits for all involved, Beijing must shift its policy course and embrace internationally accepted norms for the BRI, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

The Give-and-Take of BRI in Africa | May 1, 2019, 8:53 a.m.

China’s hostile economic practices, military expansion, and coercive political and ideological tactics in Africa should not be ignored. However, establishing a clear distinction between detrimental and essential BRI engagement is crucial to fostering development, building common ground with China, and expanding the global market.

BRI Countries Must Build Local Capacity | March 13, 2019, 10:44 a.m.

To effectively leverage the infrastructure financing opportunities provided by the Belt & Road Initiative, countries must examine their own development strategies and build domestic skills and institutions, argues Ganeshan Wignaraja for the Nikkei Asian Review.

The World, Built by China | Nov. 26, 2018, 2:19 p.m.

China envisions a vast global network of trade, investment, and infrastructure that will bring the world closer to Beijing. To better understand how China's vision is playing out on the ground, The New York Times examined nearly 600 Chinese-financed projects and the driving forces behind them, citing data from the Reconnecting Asia Project.

Traveling 60,000 KM Across China’s Belt and Road | Oct. 11, 2018, 8:53 a.m.

The China Road Project, a team of researchers interested in China’s role in global development, will be traveling 60,000 kilometers over land and sea to investigate China's Belt and Road initiative (BRI), a foreign policy concept and global infrastructure plan announced by Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2013, to help close the information gap and shine a light on the multi-trillion dollar initiative.

China's BRI Stirs Up Anxieties | July 24, 2018, 9:42 a.m.

Rather than being roundly welcomed, China's Belt and Road investment and finance decisions have become cause for concern for some receiving states, according to the Nikkei Asian Review..

Debt Challenges China, Sri Lanka Relations | July 19, 2018, 9:48 a.m.

China has become unresponsive over FTA talks with Sri Lanka for what some observers believe is linked to the new Sri Lankan administration’s reluctance at incurring any further infrastructure debt.

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.

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.

Sri Lanka Troubled by Infrastructure Debt | April 30, 2018, 10:33 a.m.

Sri Lanka is facing a weakened currency and economic growth on the island is at its lowest point in 16 years due, in part, to high levels of debt incurred from loans used to fund Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, including harbors, airports, and roads.

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.

Lessons from Hambantota | Feb. 5, 2018, 2:10 p.m.

Sitting in the Indian Ocean, Hambantota serves as a warning about the hazards of China’s global infrastructure push, which could make small economies dependent even while helping them develop. It also reveals the challenges that India, Japan and others, including the United States, face in mounting an effective response.

18 Projects to Watch in 2018 | Dec. 22, 2017, 9:21 a.m.

Reconnecting Asia is tracking developments across a vast landmass that includes 60 percent of the global economy. Every day, new infrastructure projects are announced, some are advanced, and others encounter obstacles. Here is a selection of the top projects to watch in 2018.

China Boosts Influence in South Asia | Dec. 19, 2017, 10:09 a.m.

In Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Myanmar, Beijing is pulling South Asia into its orbit.

India, China Compete for Access in Sri Lanka | Nov. 6, 2017, 10:07 a.m.

Mattala Airport in Sri Lanka, not far from the Chinese-operated Hambantota seaport, has become a point of contention in the wake of a $290 million offer from India to lease it.

China, Sri Lanka Talk Infrastructure in Beijing | Oct. 31, 2017, 2:22 p.m.

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

Sri Lanka Eyes Chinese Stake in Hambantota Port | April 3, 2017, 9:07 a.m.

Chinese Aid to Sri Lanka Fuels Competition | Feb. 27, 2017, 9:24 a.m.