Latest Articles about BRI

China Spares No Expense For Latin America and Caribbean Ties
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has cultivated close ties with Brazil, which it sees as a prime candidate to co-lead the Global South in an emerging multipolar world. Beijing is now the top trading partner for the South American continent, including with... MORE

Hongmen Associations Have Links to United Front and Organized Crime
Executive Summary: Hongmen associations, with historical roots in Qing-era secret societies, have become entangled in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) united front efforts abroad, particularly through patriotic messaging promoting unification with Taiwan. Their mythologized origins and rituals make them nearly indistinguishable from criminal triad societies. Criminal... MORE

PRC Positions Brazil as Regional Hub in a New Latin American Order
Executive Summary: Brazil, a strategic partner to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is taking a co-leading role in shaping a regional economic order decoupled from U.S.-centric trade and financial norms. The most consequential outcome of President Lula’s recent visit to Beijing was the signing... MORE

Beijing Touts Malaria Victory in African ‘Discourse Power’ Push
Executive Summary: Beijing cannot and will not replace the United States’s former role in overseas aid, but it will seize opportunities to portray itself as playing a leading role where doing so aligns with its own programmatic interests. The PRC views international aid differently to... MORE

Trade Along Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Surges
Executive Summary: The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or Middle Corridor, has evolved as a key alternative for trade between Europe and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to sanctions against Russia. The route bypasses Russia and transits through Central Asia, the Caucasus, and... MORE

‘Flash Ironmaking’ and Beijing’s Lead in Industrial Technologies
Executive Summary: A new “flash ironmaking” technology invented in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) reduces reliance on imported high-grade iron ore, aligning with Xi Jinping’s push for industrial chain autonomy and supply chain resilience. The technology may mitigate geopolitical risks but is unlikely to... MORE

State Goals, Private Tools: Digital Sovereignty and Surveillance Along the Belt and Road
Executive Summary: Beijing promotes digital sovereignty in its engagements with other countries but with the caveat that it can maintain access to partner countries’ digital systems. Leaked documents from cyber contracting firm iS00N indicate a focus on One Belt One Road partner countries, targeting critical... MORE

PLA Steps up Security Cooperation With Russia in 2024
Executive Summary: This year’s second joint aerial patrol between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia marked the debut of the nuclear-capable H-6N bomber, demonstrating Beijing’s intent to project nuclear deterrence and challenge Western strategic dominance. The two countries have expanded security cooperation this... MORE

Hong Kong’s Pivotal Role in RMB Internationalization
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to use Hong Kong to test policies and build support for the internationalization of its currency, the renminbi (RMB). The city is now the world’s largest offshore RMB clearing center. The Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS)... MORE

Chinese Roads in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Bring Benefits to Beijing
Executive Summary: China, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), plays a central role in developing transit networks in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, aiming to unify regional road infrastructure and facilitate Chinese exports. Chinese involvement provides economic benefits to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan but also gives China... MORE