Evaluating the Promise of the BRI at 10

From 2008-2021, China’s development finance institutions (DFIs) provided approximately half a trillion dollars in loans to countries around the world as part of its flagship global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Since the launch of the BRI in 2013, at least $331 billion has been provided to finance considerable infrastructure, energy and development projects throughout the Global South.

As Chinese policymakers and international leaders gather for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this October, it is important to consider the impact of the BRI in its first decade.

What has been the impact of the BRI on the global economy and how has the Initiative impacted host countries and China alike? Has the BRI lived up to its promise of generating economic growth and global interconnectivity? What risks have arisen and how have countries addressed them? And what factors are likely to shape the BRI in the years to come?

On Thursday, October 12, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center hosted a webinar discussion on maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks of the BRI in the years to come.

Speakers:

• Kevin P. Gallagher (Moderator): Director, Boston University Global Development Policy Center; Professor of Global Development Policy, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

• Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses: Data Analyst and Database Manager, Global China Initiative, Boston University Global Development Policy Center

• Rebecca Ray: Senior Academic Researcher, Global China Initiative Boston University Global Development Policy Center

• Jorge Heine: Research Professor, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University; Interim Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future

• Yunnan Chen: Research Fellow, Development and Public Finance, ODI