The “One Belt and One Road Initiative (OBOR)” elaborated by Chinese president Xi Jinping, which first emerged in Autumn 2013, is generally presented by commentators as a transport development initiative, largely related to rail links connecting China to Europe and Russia. Many also see it as a strategic undertaking on Beijing’s part to entrench China’s place in world trade and extend its reach into neighbouring countries. Given this range of potential interpretations, is it possible to have a clear idea of what is meant by this OBOR – or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as it is also called?
It is not at all certain that it is, as Rémi Perelman shows here, given how genuinely pragmatic Beijing’s approach is in this regard and how complex and difficult to read the objectives appear to be almost five years later. In this very closely argued article, the product of a foresight study initially published by Futuribles International, Rémi Perelman begins by outlining the genesis of the BRI, drawing on the founding statements and the commentaries to which they gave rise. He then focuses on the reality of the BRI in terms of their mode of financing, the supposedly “win-win” partnerships formed in different countries (themselves committed in varying degrees to the project) and the various (road, sea and rail) infrastructures, whether already built or “in the pipeline”… He also stresses the symbolic role assigned to this programme by the Chinese president and Communist party. Lastly, he sketches out the possible future prospects for the BRI: the limits there may be to their impact, but also the opportunities offered by the country positioning itself solidly within a globalized world.
