Belt and Road Initiative China's Global Business Footprint

Book excerpt: Ever since the rapid growth of China, the prevailing global unipolar economic order has started tilting toward a bi-polar economic order. In this context, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever conceived. Launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the vast collection of development and investment initiatives would connect Eurasia and pave the way for a revival of the old silk road in the process. The costs of the BRI are estimated to be US$ 800 billion, unsurprisingly China is the biggest investor supported by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) both headquartered in China. The plan is to create "six international economic corridors" connecting the Eurasia region. The edited book Belt and Road Initiative China's global business footprint encompasses various facets of this proposed trade initiative. It includes perspectives from different parts of the world while applying contextual lenses. Further, the book provides a comprehensive overview for practitioners, academics, and politicians on BRI in terms of (1) related fields of interest; (2) China and its relationship with its neighbours; and (3) political and economic effects of this initiative.