What happens when euphoria over Beijing’s $1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, turns to scepticism or disillusionment?
The mood swing against China in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic means there is far less enthusiasm for its big-ticket infrastructure projects. But take a look at what happened in Malaysia, where several BRI projects were signed and later sent back for renegotiation to reset the terms, showing how BRI projects can be accommodated in a new environment.
Since 2013, when China’s president Xi Jinping launched BRI and its transformational charter to reshape global infrastructure, Beijing’s state-owned banks have snared the lion’s share of its deals, while non-Chinese banks mostly scrambled for scraps.
Everything China does now on BRI is being analyzed and viewed through a geopolitical lens
That has rankled with many non-Chinese banks, and has been a persistent criticism directed at the wider BRI project.
BRI as sold by Beijing claims to be strictly business, and even altruistic.
