Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development plan adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international groups. It is considered a flagship of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s foreign policy. The BRI forms a central component of President Xi’s “Major Country Diplomacy” strategy.
It holds high the banner of peace and development and also intends to actively develop the economic cooperation with partner countries as well as build a common community of interest and responsibility with shared future, marked by mutual political trust, interconnected economy and inclusive culture.
BRI hinges on inclusivity, connectivity and symbiotic relationship between China and partner countries, particularly in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. However, this progressive initiative has been misunderstood by the global west as a major policy to exploit resources of vulnerable countries. Indeed, there were reports that the United States (US) senate foreign relations committee proposed millions of dollars of funding for media, which reports on the “negative impact” of Belt and Road projects.
Fortunately, this negative propaganda has been overwhelming dismissed by countries in partnership with China as they see the initiative as a game changer. Indeed, there is ample evidence in many countries that strongly dispel this notion of exploitation.
As of August 2023, 155 countries were listed as having signed up to the BRI and the participating countries include almost 75% of the world’s population and account for more than half of the world’s GDP.
As a result of this, China has in the last 10 years, spent over $1.7 trillion on the Belt and Road Initiative that is mutually beneficial to all parties. This has impacted positively on partner countries in terms development in all sectors of their economies, including construction of railways, airports, agriculture, roads, and trade and industry.
BRI is facilitating multilateralism and promoting friendly cooperation between China and Africa, boosting China-Arab cooperation and strengthening of China-ASEAN relations.
Friendly cooperation between China and Africa
China and Africa established friendly cooperation for the past 67 years. “China and Africa forged unbreakable bonds in their struggle against imperialism and colonialism,” and have embarked on a unique path of cooperation in their journey towards development and revitalization.
At the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Africa build an even stronger China-Africa community of shared future. The proposal was unanimously endorsed by African leaders.
“Over the past three years and more, China and Africa have worked together to fully implement the eight major initiatives and outcomes of the Beijing Summit, and completed a large number of priority cooperation projects,” the Chinese leader recounted.
China considers Africa as a key part of its BRI due to its potential for rails, roads and energy. Many African countries are in need of improved infrastructure this is because poor infrastructure is a major barrier to development in the region.
Reports indicate that in 2020, only 43 percent of Africans had access to electricity, 48 percent had access to paved roads, and 6 percent of agricultural land was irrigated.
However, this pitiable narrative is beginning to change as China began many of its investment activities in the East Africa region, given its access to ports and need for rails and roads. Major road infrastructure projects stretch to west, East, south and north Africa.
For instance, the Abuja-Kaduna railway line began commercial operation on 27 July 2016 after being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). It is one of the first standard gauge railroad railway modernization projects (SGRMP) in Nigeria. The project is the first part of the Lagos-Kano standard metrics project, which will connect the business centres of Nigeria with the economic activity centres of the northwestern part of the country
Another major project is the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway connecting Mombasa to Nairobi. The agreement for the railway project, which cost US$3.2 billion was signed in 2014. It was Kenya’s biggest infrastructure project since independence. In May 2017, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called the 470 km railway a new chapter that “would begin to reshape the story of Kenya for the next 100 years”. The project is seen as President Kenyatta’s legacy project.
All African countries have benefitted from the BRI including Ghana, Sudan, Tanzania, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda.
China-ASEAN Relations
China-ASEAN Relations was established 30 years ago and this led to the advancement of economic globalization and fundamental changes in the international landscape. This symbiotic relationship has been reinforced under the BRI. In 2021, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, which was a call for the international community to jointly meet challenges, promote global economic recovery following the devastation of economies by COVID-19 pandemic, and accelerate implementation of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This initiative, according to the Chinese Leader Xi Jinping, is well-aligned with ASEAN Community Vision 2025, and can contribute to the efforts of ASEAN countries to meet their development needs.
Speaking to His Majesty Sultan Hassanal of Brunei Darussalam on November 22, 2021, Xi Jinping said “China is ready to provide ASEAN with another US$1.5 billion of development assistance in the next three years to support their fight against Covid-19 and the region’s economic recovery. China is also ready to engage in international development cooperation with ASEAN and launch negotiations on an agreement in this area.”
This is the level of cooperation that is yielding benefits to China and the ASEAN countries.
China has a vast domestic market and this market remains open to ASEAN countries to promote trade and investment liberalization, and facilitation.
According to the Chinese leader, China is prepared to import more quality products from ASEAN countries, including buying up to US$150 billion worth of agriculture products from ASEAN in the next five years.
“We will promote high quality Belt and Road cooperation with ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific. China will continue to develop demonstration zones for high-quality Belt and Road International Cooperation in industrial capacity and welcomes ASEAN countries’ participation in building a new international land-sea trade corridor.
“China will launch China-ASEAN science, technology and innovation enhancing program, provide 1,000 items of advanced and applicable technology to ASEAN, and support 300 young scientists from ASEAN to come to China for exchanges in the next five years”, Xi Jinping reiterated.
Other areas
Belt and Road projects in Africa focus generally on transport. However, the BRI has some variation within, from international rail and expressways, seaports, hydropower to carbon-based power, water supply and sanitation, and many other programs.
Subsequently, China’s investments in the region have also risen significantly since the beginning of 2000, with total spending from the Chinese government and companies reaching US$23 billion in 2020.
China is now the largest funder of infrastructure projects in Africa, financially backing around a fifth of all projects and constructing a third of them.
A report by McKinsey & Company estimates that more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operate in Africa, with about 90 percent privately owned.
Aside from economic activities, China has also shaped the Belt and Road as an opportunity to build cultural ties between Africa and China
Trade relations
In 2021, China encouraged its businesses to invest not less than US$10 billion in Africa in the next three years and also establish a platform for China-Africa private investment promotion. China also pledged to undertake 10 industrialization and employment promotion projects for Africa, provide credit facilities of US$10 billion to African financial institutions, support the development of African SMEs on a priority basis.
