Order from chaos: China’s Belt and Road, seven years in

© Beibaoke1

Brooking has published an interesting article on China’s Belt & Road Initiative – a not particularly transparent project. As it notes, the BRI is primarily a programme to fund infrastructure, with about two-thirds of financing – some $50-$100bn each year – going to power and transport.

A 2019 World Bank study looked at the transport projects along the overland and maritime routes, concluding there were benefits to recipient countries and the world, if transport costs were reduced through improved infrastructure. But it also pointed ...