BRI: Ten years after

The world struggles to counter its influence

China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) completed a decade this month with President Xi Jinping seeking to infuse an element of benignity into this globe-girdling project that is widely seen as a disquieting projection of Chinese power. Mr Xi’s initial vision encompassed creating a vast network of railways, energy pipelines, highways, and streamlined border crossings — overland and maritime — that would promote West and East Asian infrastructure connectivity and the international use of the renminbi. The BRI has made significant strides. To date, according to a Council on Foreign Relations study, 147 countries accounting for two-thirds of the