B etween 20 and 23 October, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee will hold its Annual Congress to discuss the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). A major tenet of China’s geoeconomic ambitions, the Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013, now spans over 3,000 projects worth around $ 1 trillion and involves more than 150 countries. Since its launch, BRI projects have faced a host of challenges, including financial non-viability, environmental concerns, public protests, issues with operationality, and corruption. In 2019, China shifted to BRI 2.0, with an emphasis on ‘small and beautiful’ projects, suggesting a tacit acknowledgment of these issues and an effort to address them.

As China moves toward the next Five-Year Plan, it is imperative to examine what are the

See Full Page