Status Quo of the Belt and Road Initiative and Outlook

Abstract

Six years after China’s President Xi Jinping announced the plan of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), China’s New Silk Road of the twenty-first century has become a steadily developing reality. The first steps have already been realised—the freight train railway that connects China with Germany, the highway from China’s coast to St. Petersburg, several oil and gas pipelines from Russia and Kazakhstan to China. The first level is built; the economic corridors will continuously be extended over the coming years and gain new infrastructure arteries. New pipelines will be laid, and new highways and additional railways will be constructed. The already existing infrastructure hubs will further grow and attract additional businesses. The question is no longer whether the BRI will become operational—it already is. The question is no longer when it will be a reality—it already is. The frequency of trade along the existing routes will grow, and with additional railway connections and highways the visibility of the BRI will steadily increase over the next years. We will become constantly aware of this paradigm change.