The infrastructure marketplace in the Indo-Pacific is being defined by competition. But given 21st century trends, this competition should be in the service of expanding choice, innovation, and effective delivery of sustainable infrastructure outcomes. Does the recently announced B3W offer positive contribution beyond engagement through its implicit contrast to the BRI?
The Economic Development Dimension of China-Africa Relations
FOCUS - Il renminbi alla conquista dei mercati globali
La BRI e l’internazionalizzazione del renminbi sono entrambe strategie promosse dalla Cina nel XXI secolo per aumentare la propria integrazione nell’economia mondiale, ma sono nate in tempi diversi e con finalità parallele, seppur complementari.Obiettivi: piena convertibilità della valuta cinese e aumento del suo peso negli scambi globali. Quali i passi necessari?
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In 2013, Chinese president Xi Jinping officially charted the idea of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during an official visit to Kazakhstan. From mines to railways, China embarked in a large number of infrastructure projects to enhance land and maritime trade connectivity. There was never a clear target in terms of the amount of investments needed for the BRI to be successful, though official estimates hovered between 4 and 8 trillion USD.
FOCUS - Cina: chi finanzia la BRI?
La crisi del coronavirus sembra aver determinato un'involuzione del progetto BRI e una riduzione del programma dei prestiti cinesi all'estero. Tuttavia, molti Paesi, soprattutto i più poveri, sono fortemente indebitati verso Pechino e gran parte dei debiti esistenti non sono registrati nei circuiti internazionali. Ora i finanziamenti stanno progressivamente trasferendosi su circuiti multilaterali, con l'Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) sempre più protagonista.
Sin dal suo primo numero, OBOR Watch ha cercato di approfondire il significato e la portata del programma cinese, che da sempre ha incluso molti pilastri oltre a quello delle infrastrutture fisiche e digitali (l’unico di cui si sia sempre e solo parlato in Italia).
During the highly intense four-days of the 5th Plenum of the CPC Central Committee (26th - 29th October), the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was certainly not at the centre of the debate.
With the resignation of Prime Minister Abe, the future of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy has been called into question. Abe was indeed one of the key architects of this vision and he devoted enormous energy to flesh it out. For sure, his successor, Suga Yoshihide, will have his hands full with domestic issues, from tackling the COVID-related economic crisis to implementing daunting structural reforms.
FOCUS - Belt and Road: 2020, l'anno della svolta
Nonostante i rallentamenti causati dalla pandemia di Covid, la BRI rallenta ma non si ferma. Il 2020 sarà probabilmente l'anno della svolta. In ogni caso la nuova Via della seta andrà a ridefinire le relazioni bilaterali cinesi con il resto del mondo, promuovendo nuovi beneficiari e stimolando nuovi settori strategici.
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di Alessia Amighini, UPO e ISPI
After 6-years of rapid development, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has entered a new era in terms of quality development. In this grand picture, cities acting as sub-state actors along the BRI, have gained new momentum for displaying geographic significance and economic attractiveness. This paper intends to define cities’ role in the joint promotion of BRI, exemplify how cities will prosper in the process and explore new opportunities of investment after the COVID-19 pandemic.
By 2050, 68% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities, with almost 90% of the growth in urban population happening in Asia and Africa. Facing rapid urbanization, governments are increasingly adopting smart city initiatives as solutions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities. ICT-based urban management has the potential to maximize the benefits of agglomeration, while minimizing negative impacts like pollution.
Most countries along the BRI are developing countries and emerging economies. They account for 31 percent of the global GDP, but constitute about 62 percent of world’s population(1). At the same time, the ecological environment is very fragile, due to the distribution of most of the global biodiversity hotspots(2). 58 percent of the world’s deserts are also concentrated in this area(3). In a certain sense, the historical Silk Road is also an international transmission channel for dust and pollutants(4).