Category: BRI

China’s Belt and Road Faces Pandemic Economy

Analysis China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is at the center of Xi Jinping’s foreign and economic policy, and a significant component of Beijing’s push for global expansion. So far, 139 countries have joined the various components, including the Digital Silk Road, Health Silk Road, and Maritime Silk Road. The BRI (also known as “One Belt,…


China and Venezuela: An Opportunity for the US

Commentary China has lent more money to Venezuela than any other country–$60 billion. When the two joined in an anti-U.S. union, both expected to benefit. Now, isolated by the world community, Venezuela’s bonds are in default and its economy is crashing. China has cooled on the relationship, and the United States may have an opportunity….


China Is ‘Our Main Partner,’ Says Taliban Spokesperson

A Taliban spokesperson has praised Beijing as a “main partner” and financier as the group moves to build a national governance and develop Afghanistan’s economy. “China is our main partner and represents for us a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity because it is willing to invest and rebuild our country,” Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid told Italian…


The Ulterior Motives of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Commentary Xi Jinping’s ascension to supreme power in China has resulted in a number of ChiCom (Chinese Communist) global initiatives being pursued diligently in the mainland and abroad. Perhaps the most important of these is the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also called One Belt One Road), which Xi announced…


West Bolsters Global Infrastructure Investment in Bid to Counter China’s BRI

News Analysis Western nations are increasing global infrastructure cooperation in a bid to counter Beijing’s massive “New Silk Road” project, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative. As allied democracies reassess their commitment to infrastructure investment plans, experts warn that their budgets are insignificant compared with Beijing’s global infrastructure spending. Chinese leader Xi Jinping…


Samoa Is Right to Cancel Chinese Port

Commentary Samoa has canceled a $100 million port that China planned to build by loaning the cash-strapped nation. This is an about-turn for Samoa, which is rightly asserting independence and financial discipline when it comes to China’s opaque development loans. On July 30, Reuters published an exclusive interview with Samoa’s new prime minister, Fiame Naomi…


China’s One-Two Punch

Commentary In boxing there’s something called a one-two punch. You might deflect or evade the “one” but if you forget about the “two” you could end up face down on the mat. So it is with the Chinese regime. Most of the attention is on how to take on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and…


Bangladesh Cuts Cost of China-Funded BRI Railway Projects; Beijing Withdraws Funding

China has withdrawn its BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) funding for railway projects in Bangladesh, after the recipient country proposed significant cuts in costs. This happened amidst increasing tension between the two countries. According to media reports, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina found that Chinese companies were charging three times the normal price…


Beijing’s Plot Behind Its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Commentary On May 28, in a speech delivered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, President Joe Biden made startling remarks that the United States is “in a battle between democracies and autocracies,” and that Xi Jinping “firmly believes that China, before the year ‘30, ‘35, is going to own America.” Some may think Biden…


Anything You Can Do: G7 Rivals China With Grand Infrastructure Plan

CARBIS BAY, England–The Group of Seven richest democracies on June 12 sought to counter China’s growing influence by offering developing nations an infrastructure plan that would rival Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative. The G7, whose leaders are meeting in southwestern England, has been searching for a coherent response to the growing…