Assessing China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Heralding China’s rise as a great power, Beijing has launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - a massive $1.5 trillion plan to bolster connections among sixty countries stretching from Southeast Asia to Europe through the construction of seaports, airports, roads, pipelines, electrical grids and other types of infrastructure. If successful, BRI could jumpstart economic growth across the region, promote the spread of the “China model” of political and economic development and cement China status as a central player in world politics. Yet BRI’s critics warn of wasteful spending, runaway debt, corruption and undue Chinese political influence on recipient countries. Panelists Kenn Yu (Principal), Robin Anderson (Principal Chief Economist), and David Skidmore (Drake Professor of Political Science) will weigh these contending perspectives.