A first Belt and Road Initiative project may soon get developed in Kiribati by China. Beijing may renovate an airstrip in Kanton island.
China and the Kiribati airstrip
Slovakia at the 5th Silk Road International Exposition
Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Finance and Minister of Economy Richard Sulík gave a speech at the ceremony of the Silk Road Expo.
Competition in Ethiopia’s telecom sector
In Ethiopia, the Silk Road Fund and the US-DFC are backing competiting projects in the newly open telecom sector.
Increased trade and more projects between Nepal and China
Nepali-Chinese relations have grown stronger since the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative with new projects.
“The Belt Road and Beyond” by Prof. Min Ye
Book review: Ye, M. (2020). The Belt Road and Beyond: State-Mobilized Globalization in China: 1998-2018. Cambridge University Press.
Australia cancels Victoria-China Belt and Road Initiative agreement
Australia cancelled the agreements signed between the state of Victoria and China on the BRI ; this would further harm China-Australia relations.
The BRI at the 20th Anniversary Boao Forum for Asia
At Boao Forum for Asia 2021, Hainan, China invited the world to cooperate with the Belt and Road Initiative to speed post-Covid19 recovery.
Montenegro’s debt dilemma: an opportunity to improve the BRI?
Montenegro may default because of a BRI motorway construction project. Governance and financial matters need to be improved for future BRI programmes.
Malaysia ECRL original alignment confirmed
In early April 2021, the Malaysian government announced the re-initiation of the original alignment of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
Narrowing the Education Gap and Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS)
Natural disasters can threaten large infrastructure projects and create financial turmoil in developing countries along the new Silk Road.