Summary: China’s Belt and Road Initiative turns five years old this fall, first unveiled by President Xi Jinping in a pair of speeches in late 2013. The infrastructure and connectivity initiative has proven far more ambitious, and far more controversial, than anyone could have predicted at that time. Under the BRI umbrella, China has already spent, pledged, or invested over one hundred billion dollars in infrastructure projects spanning the globe. However, since mid-2017, international concerns about the BRI—and the outgrowth of Chinese “sharp power”—have been mounting. The U.S., EU, India, Australia and others have criticized the BRI model—which they accuse of fueling corruption, failing to meet international standards, and leveraging “debt-trap diplomacy” for geopolitical ends--while beginning to promote their own infrastructure initiatives and visions for the region. Please join our expert panel as we examine the future prospects of the BRI, Chinese perspectives on the BRI at Five and changing international attitudes toward the initiative, and the evolving U.S. and allied policy responses.
