The BRI in Xi’s China “Grand Strategy”: An Instrument to Restore Chinese Centrality in a New Era

Abstract

The goal and contribution of this chapter is to understand and analyse China’s Grand Strategy in which the BRI fits. Filling a crucial gap in the existing literature related to the BRI, we attempt to answer the following central questions: of which Chinese grand strategy is the BRI part of? Has this grand strategy changed under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the BRI mentor? And how does the BRI contribute to Xi’s China grand strategy? Responding to these questions, we highlight three main arguments. First, China’s current grand strategy is the result both of its “historical continuity” and astounding resurgence and of the overlapping interests, ambitions, and worldview of China as a State and of the dominant CPC, with emphasis on the path traced by leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping. Second, the strengthening of its “comprehensive national power,” combined with Xi Jinping’s leadership style, has made China more ambitious, confident, and assertive. Third, the BRI is part of a broader set of Xi’s China policies and initiatives, and in addition to economic objectives, it also has associated geopolitical and geostrategic goals in an attempt to place China at the centre of the global stage.