Abstract
The Chinese government launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 as a vision to promote growth and cooperation among the economies of Asia and Europe. Over the five years since its inception, the BRI has expanded in both geographic and strategic scope. As of early 2019, 141 countries and 29 international organizations have joined the initiative, which has broadened from targeting infrastructure connectivity and logistics to wider goals of unimpeded trade, financial integration, policy coordination and people-to-people bonds. Thousands of BRI projects have already been approved, with a total investment potential of $1.2-1.3 trillion by 2027 (IDSA 2019, Morgan Stanley 2018).
