Much of the debate on the controversies surrounding BRI is centered around two questions. Is the BRI a grand strategy to advance China’s global strategic interests? Or is it, as the Chinese government itself presents it, a win-win initiative for global peace and development? A second related question concerns the practical consequences of BRI. China... Continue Reading →

Ideology plays a role in a country’s overall development. What are most clear have been over the past decades the differences between socialist and capitalist countries. China has been, however, a mix of both: socialism with Chinese characteristics, or rather capitalism with Chinese characteristics. Admittedly there’re factors of ideology. But what often understated or missed... Continue Reading →

Eurasia in the narrow view, the former post-Soviet space, in which the institutions that emerged in the previous era continue to function. Attempts to reintegrate fragments of the former Soviet space in various forms. Why Belt Road as an Initiative causes positive reactions from the post-Soviet elites at the same time is more attractive from... Continue Reading →

Since the very start of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) project, Central Asia has become the core element of its implementation from the geostrategic and infrastructural points of view. Strategic partnerships with the Central Asian states laid a solid foundation for the further promotion of China’s initiative in Eurasia. However, after the start of ‘conjugation’... Continue Reading →

There are questions regarding what is known of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Central Asia. To address this gap, a study was conducted from a micro-level perspective, which focused on the presence and impact of the BRI in the region. It was carried out jointly, in 2018–2019, by seven researchers from Norway and... Continue Reading →

Nowadays the region of South Caucasus still maintains its strategic relevance, which intensifies the interest of great powers towards it. In recent years, besides traditional regional actors (Russia, Iran and Turkey) analysts have noted an increase in China’s interest towards South Caucasus - mainly, in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). One... Continue Reading →

The Belt and Road Initiative is perhaps best known in the Indian Ocean region as infrastructure projects have sought to enable land to sea connections and movement with a focus on ports and railways. BRI infrastructure projects also enabled other projects at different scales, both government sponsored and private. From Indian Ocean perspectives the BRI... Continue Reading →

This research examines how China’s historical maritime connections with the Swahili Coast are now being rewritten to fit the sociocultural and political narrative of the Belt Road Initiative (BRI)—an ambitious multilevel program sponsored by the Chinese Government. Studying the problematic nature of Chinese stakeholdership in the port town of Bagamoyo, the research shows how select... Continue Reading →