Mapping continental ambitions

In fall 2015, Chinese president Xi Jinping debuted at the UN a grand scheme called Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) to transform the world’s power grids. GEI imagines taking our existing grids—fragmented today along national lines—and knitting them together over the next five decades into a global network. This integrated system would serve as the backbone of a transition from fossil fuels to a new energy system based around three pillars: clean energy, smart grids, and a new technology for long-distance power lines known as ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission.

Three years later, GEI is an important part of Chinese ...

Launched in 2013, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) strives to improve infrastructure, trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds across more than 80 countries. Its digital dimensions are far-reaching, including fiber optic cables, 5G networks, satellites, and devices that ...