BRI projects: the “rules of engagement”

Abstract

Purpose

This paper establishes the “Rules of Engagement” (i.e. being “Long-Term Greedy”, adopting a “Caesar's Wife Approach” and promoting “Inclusive Growth”), which aim to strengthen the chances of success of “Belt and Road Initiative” (“BRI”) projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This study deploys a case-study approach, supported by research on the economic and political development of developing countries.

Findings

Despite the professed altruism of BRI projects, many of these projects have been bedevilled by corruption scandals, financial overruns and spurious accusations of them being used as politically driven “debt-traps”. These problems present an urgent need for an overarching overseer to implement the “rules of engagement” needed to enhance the prospect of long-term success in BRI projects.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few academic research papers on the BRI.

Citation

Wong, W.K.O. (2020), "BRI projects: the “rules of engagement”", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 337-347. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-10-2019-0167