The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI):

Xi Jinping's strategic initiative

Abstract

Since his arrival in late 2012, Xi Jinping released a global facet in Chinese foreign policy. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become the most important strategic initiative in Xi Jinping's foreign policy. Due to its characteristics and scope, one of the main academic debates it has generated is to establish whether it is a Chinese initiative or strategy. The initiative is a proposal for international economic cooperation to execute projects related to trade and infrastructure along its economic corridors and maritime routes. With the focus on improving connectivity between Europe and Asia, it is open to all those countries on the globe that wish to integrate it, expanding the cooperation platform and consolidating the image of China as a global power. Our work tries to understand what the initiative consists of, what are the strategic interests pursued by Beijing and how the BRI is articulated with the “Chinese dream”. To do this, we will study the factors that gave rise to the initiative, its place in Xi Jinping's foreign policy, as well as its design, geographic scope, the implementation of the main projects and the financing mechanisms. We will start from the premise that China, through the Belt and Road Initiative, uses economic diplomacy to pursue its strategic interests, increasing trade, investment and finance along the economic corridors that comprise it.