• BRI is an infrastructure connecting link launched by China in 2013.
• It used to connect the Asian continent with African, Central Asian countries, and Europe.
• It is modeled in the ancient Silk Route and Sea Route.
• It spread over 150 countries.
• It involves roadways, railways, port development like Gwador port in Pakistan, power grids, and gas pipelines.
• Major Pillars of the Project
• • Policy coordination
  • Trade promotion
  • Physical connectivity
  • Renminbi internationalization
  • People-to-people contacts.

Major Routes of BRI

• Ancient Silk Route – Connect north of China; by reaching out to Eurasia including a link via Myanmar to India.
• Maritime Silk Road (MSR) – It begins via the South China Sea going towards Indo-China, Southeast Asia, and then around the Indian Ocean thus reaching Africa and Europe.

Pic Credit – Silk Road Briefing

Recent Development Related to BRI

• Italy also taking steps to move out of it.
• Initially, Rome came out from the BRI project.
• In April 2023 European Union – China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment(CAI) collapsed.
• 2022 – The Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia quit the 17+1 agreement with China 17+1 agreement is China’s diplomatic push in Central and Eastern European countries.
• 2021 – Lithuania walked out of the project.

Other Development Measures to Counter BRI

• B3W Initiative – Proposed by G7 countries that aim to address the infrastructure investment deficit in developing and lower-income countries.
• Blue Dot Network (BDN) –  It is a multi-stakeholder initiative formed by the US, Japan, and Australia to bring together governments, the private sector, and civil society to promote high-quality, trusted standards for global infrastructure development.
• Global Gateway – Initiated by the European Union(EU) for infrastructure projects in the region and minimizing China’s influence.
• Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment(PGII) – As a countermeasure to China’s debt trap diplomacy western country like the USA has initiated infrastructure projects like Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment(PGII).

India’s Stand on Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)

• India does not support BRI and declined an invitation from China.
• BRI passes through Indian territory illegally held by Pakistan in the name of the China – Pakistan Economic Corridor with multiple modern highway and rail projects.