The "Rise and Fall of China's Belt and Road" was another Establishment Washington myth

After a slight dip in outbound investment in China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2020-2022, leading Washington think tanks declared that the program had been a failure.

But the program had merely shifted, to different regions, and to investments higher up the value chain.

In the first half of 2025, Chinese BRI investments are again at record levels, and are diversified across manufacturing, high technology, energy, mining, and transportation.

Cumulatively, China has invested over $1.3 trillion into developing economies in the past twelve years.

Those investments have profound impacts for global trade and diplomacy, and conferred on China deep and enduring advantages.

Closing scene, Macau

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Resources and links:

Bloomberg, China Pours Exports Into Africa Faster Than Anywhere Else

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-26/china-is-pouring-exports-into-africa-faster-than-anywhere-else

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China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Investment Report 2025 H1

https://blogs.griffith.edu.au/asiainsights/china-belt-and-road-initiative-bri-investment-report-2025/

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Tightening the Belt or End of the Road? China’s BRI at 10

https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/02/27/tightening-the-belt-or-end-of-the-road-chinas-bri-at-10/

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https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/foundation-for-defense-of-democracies/summary?id=D000072176

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Defense_of_Democracies

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Council on Foreign Relations, The Rise and Fall of the BRI

https://www.cfr.org/blog/rise-and-fall-bri

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Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/council-on-foreign-relations-cfr/

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Mirrored - Inside China Business