Biden’s Angola visit highlights U.S. efforts to counter China through the Lobito Corridor, boosting critical materials and infrastructure investments.
Belt and Road Initiative
U.S. officials’ “debt-trap” rhetoric ignores local agency, hindering constructive engagement with the Global South.
Italy exited the BRI after finding it offered little benefit. Meloni’s recent China visit reflects the country’s shift toward a more pragmatic, EU-aligned relationship with Beijing.
A game of ports is heating up in Central Africa as the West and China back competing green metal transport routes: the Lobito Corridor and TAZARA.
The Belt and Road Initiative is unlikely to see a system-transforming institutionalization as its decision-making remains top-heavy.
Leaders in the Global South don’t quite agree with the West on the Belt and Road Initiative. For the West to compete with China, collaboration is key.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative continues to expand its global influence, particularly in developing autocracies, leveraging infrastructure and tech investments.
The Balochistan Liberation Front’s attack highlights security risks to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Reko Diq copper mine.
Russia has locked itself into an economic partnership with China in which it is the supplicant. It’s a role that Moscow seems happy to play.
Xi Jinping is unlikely to disown Putin, but he will balance his support for him with the need to stabilize relations with the U.S. and Europe.