RAND Working Paper Refutes Critics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

A May 2020 “working paper” issued by the RAND Corporation entitled “Demystifying the Belt and Road Initiative: A Clarification of Its Key Features, Objectives and Impacts,” gives an upbeat picture of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, refuting many of the lies which have been circulated by its opponents. The report by Rafiq Dossani, Jennifer Bouey, and Keren Zhu, in particular gives the lie to the accusations that the BRI is dependent on Chinese rather than native labor in the countries in which it operates, and the lie that it is a “debt trap.” It also clearly indicates that the investment of the BRI is not simply a one-shot affair, but is rather a “portfolio” investment. That is, by investing in transportation, this investment opens the door to the creation of a fiber-optic grid, the creation of industrial zones along the route, etc. Because of the fundamental nature of the transportation grid and similar infrastructure in a country’s economy, such investment changes the “geometry” of the recipient country so that it can move to a higher stage economically.