Belt and Road Initiative

Now a decade old, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 is arguably the largest and most impactful infrastructure and connectivity project of the 21st century especially in the Global South.

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With an investment surpassing $1 trillion to date, the BRI has been a pivotal force in infrastructure development in emerging economies, giving them railroads, ports, power projects and telecom and internet infrastructure.

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The entry of the G7's Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment and the EU’s Global Gateway into the infrastructure-building race gives developing countries even more options. Our research and insights track the evolution of the BRI and its impact in infrastructure-starved countries as the program embarks on its second decade.