Fear Won’t Stop China’s Digital Silk Road
If the United States and its allies want to prevent China from dominating next-generation technologies and networks, they must incentivize Western companies to take greater risks in next-generation markets.
If the United States and its allies want to prevent China from dominating next-generation technologies and networks, they must incentivize Western companies to take greater risks in next-generation markets.
China’s BRI offers lofty promises of “win-win” investments that have persuaded some 126 countries to sign on. But critics claim that it stokes corruption, harms the environment, creates financial dependencies, and extends Chinese military power. Writing for The Washington Post, Jonathan Hillman tackles five myths fueled by the BRI’s ambiguity.
Even as Huawei faces resistance in Western airwaves, it is racing ahead under the world’s seas in a commercial contest that could eventually provide China with strategic advantages.
China’s Belt and Road (BRI) has taken a beating, but its central feature of big infrastructure projects will remain recognizable for years to come.
Xi Jinping wants to repair the Belt and Road brand—as 37 world leaders gather in Beijing—but promises for reform will require further monitoring. CSIS’s Matthew Goodman and Jonathan Hillman go over some key questions ahead of China’s Second Belt and Road forum.