Belt And Road Forum

Xi promises more market openness, investments for Belt and Road projects

Chinese President Xi Jinping promised greater access to China's market for international firms and new financing exceeding USD 100 billion for other developing economies as he opened a forum Wednesday on his signature Belt and Road infrastructure policy. The initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China's relations with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. But the massive loans that funded the projects have burdened poorer countries with heavy debts, in some cases leading to China taking control of those assets. At the forum's opening ceremony at the cavernous Great Hall of the People, Xi promised two Chinese-backed development banks the China Development Bank and the ExportImport Bank of China will each set 350 billion yuan (USD 47.9 billion) financing windows, while an additional 80 billion yuan (USD 11 billion) will be injected into the Silk Road Fund to support BRI projects. We will comprehensively remove restrictions

Here are the key leaders joining BRI forum and their wish lists to Beijing

China is hosting its third international forum centered around President Xi Jinping's signature policy, the Belt and Road Initiative, which over the past 10 years has built infrastructure across continents, burdening some smaller countries with debt. The forum brings a flurry of diplomacy to Beijing, including at least 20 heads of state and government, mostly hailing from developing markets in Southeast and South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Here are some key leaders visiting Beijing and an overview of their countries' involvement in the Belt and Road projects. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Tuesday, on his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for him in March over his alleged involvement in the mass abduction of children from Ukraine. Putin's visit underscores China's economic and diplomatic support for Moscow amid the isolation brought by its

Putin visits 'dear friend Xi Jinping' in show of no-limits partnership

It is also the Kremlin chief's first official trip outside of the former Soviet Union this year, after visiting Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, earlier this month

Will Xi Jinping's gamble on Russian President Vladimir Putin pay off?

The Russian leader's attendance at Xi's Belt and Road Initiative Forum, which opens on Tuesday, will be his first trip abroad - aside from visiting former Soviet states

How China's BRI is changing after a decade of big projects and big debts

China's Belt and Road Initiative looks to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. The shift comes as leaders from across the developing world descend on Beijing this week for a government-organized forum on what is known as BRI for short. The initiative has built power plants, roads, railroads and ports around the world and deepened China's relations with Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast. It is a major part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's push for China to play a larger role in global affairs. What is the BRI? Called One Belt, One Road in Chinese, the Belt and Road Initiative started as a program for Chinese companies to build transportation, energy and other infrastructure overseas funded by Chinese development bank loans. The stated goal was to grow trade and the economy by improving China's connections with the rest of the world in a 21st-century version of the Silk Road trad

Leaders from emerging economies visiting China for 'Belt and Road' forum

A stream of leaders of emerging market countries are arriving in Beijing for a meeting organised by the Chinese government that will mark the 10th anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed landed in Beijing on Monday, following Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday night. Under the initiative, a signature policy of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese companies have built ports, roads, railways, power plants around the world in a bid to boost trade and economic growth. But the massive Chinese development loans that funded the projects have also burdened some poorer countries with heavy debts. Others leaders from Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Mideast will attend the Belt and Road Forum, whose main day is on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend, as are representatives of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Hits and misses: Highlights of Xi Jinping's second Belt and Road Forum

China's efforts to rehabilitate the Belt and Road's image did have some success, drawing eight more heads of state to this year's conference

Why India is against Belt & Road forum, China's biggest diplomatic event

The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013

China's Belt and Road is shrinking; it may be bad news for US and allies

A rebalancing away from the most toxic aspects of the Belt and Road would certainly limit China's ability to ensnare smaller countries in debt and gain access to such strategic assets

Towards many belts and many roads

What New Delhi must do after having boycotted the Belt and Road Forum