British Prime Minister Theresa May upset her Chinese hosts last week by refusing to endorse President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy effort, the Belt and Road Initiative. She called the U.K. a “natural partner” for the BRI, but suggested that it failed to meet international standards for transparency and fair competition.
A small town on Sri Lanka’s southern coast has become something of a global lighthouse. 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.
CSIS Reconnecting Asia Director Jonathan Hillman testifies before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission for a hearing on “China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Five Years Later.”
Everyone knows where China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) begins, but where it ends remains a mystery. Since President Xi Jinping announced the effort in September 2013, it has expanded to 70 countries, according to state-run media. But a closer look at the list of participants reveals how little the BRI label actually means. Rather than trying to sign up even more states in 2018, China should focus on delivering results, especially high-quality infrastructure, for current participants.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is today starting a four-day state visit to China that could be a major opportunity to improve strained bilateral relations amid intense concern about North Korea’s nuclear program.