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Charts of the Week: China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Figure: Reviving the Silk Road

In this edition of Charts of the Week, a focus on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

CHINA’S MULTIPLE LINKS TO EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

Theodore Pelagidis comments on a recent EU-China summit, where EU members and Beijing agreed upon bilateral trade arrangements, in anticipation of WTO adjudication. In the piece, he describes China’s Belt and Road Initiative that will help connect China to the European market, noting that it includes three roads, a maritime route, and an “e-Silk Road.”

New Silk Roads, China is assembling new trade routes, binding other regions closer to it (Source: Wall Street Journal)Source: The Wall Street Journal

DEFORESTATION RISKS FROM CHINA’S BRI

A group of experts writing for the Future Development blog examine the deforestation risks of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Elizabeth Losos, Alexander Pfaff, and Lydia Olander (all from Duke University) offer a framework and analysis of where the greatest risks of deforestation, and greatest environmental impacts, from development are.

Map 1. BRI transport projects and forest cover, loss, and gain

BRI’S INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Bruce Jones, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, convened seven Brookings experts to discuss the strategic implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, described as “a leading indicator of the scale of China’s global ambitions.” The map below details the types of pipelines, railroads, ports, and other infrastructure projects under the BRI.

Figure: Reviving the Silk Road

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