China Moves West: The Evolving Strategies of the Belt and Road Initiative

In September 2013, Xi Jinping announced the launch of a Chinese-led megaproject, the Belt and Road Initiative, that would transform Asia's position within the global economy. Some ten years on, the BRI, while facing significant obstacles, has gone from strength to strength. How has China’s BRI diplomacy affected its image across Asia? What does the BRI mean for Sino-US competition? Will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and footprint in the region hinder the BRI’s success? Addressing these questions and more, the authors of China Moves West offer a critical appraisal of how the BRI is progressing, how it is being perceived, and how it is navigating challenges in the geopolitically sensitive regions of Central, South, and West Asia.CONTENTS: Introduction―B. Houghton and A. Ehteshami.The Belt and Road Initiative: Asianization Amid China's Great Revival―A. Ehteshami.Conceptualizing Asia in China: The Challenges for BRI Diplomacy―H. Liu.Sino-Russian Competition: The Reshaping of Central Asia―G. Sciorati and K. Silvan.China's Changing Image in Central Asia: Exercising Soft and Hard Power―J. Y-W. Chen.Geopolitics and Russia: Implications of the Invasion of Ukraine for the BRI―M.N. Katz.Sino-Indian Competition: The Development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor―J. Garlick.China in Afghanistan: The BRI as a Vehicle for Influence―J. Liu.The BRI in the GCC States: China's Route to Regional Predominance?―B. Houghton.The BRI in Conflict Zones: The Case of Syria―K.A. Houghton.Sino-Iranian Relations: Challenges Facing Beijing and Tehran―J. Scita.Türkiye Eyes the BRI: Prospects for China's Project at the Eurasian Crossroads―D. Göçer and C. Ergenç.Israel: Between the United States and China―Y. Shichor.China Moves West: Ten Years of the Belt and Road Initiative―H. Fan. Read more