Road Initiative Research Articles

Carbon Emission Management under China-Africa Supply Chain Co-operation in Logistics

This study examines carbon emission management strategies in China-Africa supply chain cooperation, with a particular focus on logistics under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Given the increasing carbon emissions from logistics in both regions, effective management is crucial for sustainable development. The study highlights the need to integrate low-carbon technologies, renewable energy deployment and green logistics practices. It also discusses the economic, political and technical challenges of implementing these measures. Recommendations include the improvement of policies and regulations, the enhancement of technology transfer and the promotion of stakeholder partnerships. Successful case studies, such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, demonstrate the potential of sustainable infrastructure projects. The study concludes that strategic alignment, policy strengthening and collaborative efforts are essential to achieve low-carbon logistics and support long-term China-Africa cooperation.

The Main Directions of Trade and Economic Cooperation between Russia and China in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative

The Main Directions of Trade and Economic Cooperation between Russia and China in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative

Any alternative to the Wall Street Consensus? Comparing the infrastructure financing models of the US, the EU, and China

ABSTRACT Global South countries (excluding China) need USD 40 trillion in infrastructure finance by 2035. Most of this must be sourced externally. The US’s Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment, the EU’s Global Gateway, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative all aim to provide parts of this capital. Conceptualising the state-capital relation of the US’s approach, the ‘Wall Street Consensus’ appoints host countries to catalyse private capital by de-risking infrastructure projects. Here, I conduct a comparative study of the state-capital relationships within the financing models of the three initiatives, drawing from 123 interviews conducted across the global North and South, official documents, and existing literature on infrastructure finance. I find that while the three models assign different roles to host countries, they all entail a heavy financial risk burden. Highlighting differences between initiatives, I conceptualise the US‘s model as ‘host country de-risking’, the EU’s as ‘ODA bargained de-risking’, and China’s as ‘state-organised risk-sharing’. Positioned between these models, I find that global South countries face a dilemma between the need for a ‘green state’ approach to drive infrastructure development and pressure for a limited risk-carrying state role imposed by the three models.

An Empirical Study of the Impact of the Digital Silk Road on Foreign Trade between China and Countries along the Route - A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on Silk Road E-Commerce International Cooperation

The Digital Silk Road, as the digital extension of the Belt and Road Initiative, aims to enhance international trade and infrastructure development. This study is based on data from 190 countries from 2002 to 2022, using the PSM-DID model and the quasi-natural experimental environment of Silk Road e-commerce international cooperation, to conduct an in-depth study of the impact of the Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative on trade between China and the countries along the route (countries that have signed the DSR initiative with China). This study draws the following conclusions. First, the DSR initiative has a positive effect on trade between China and the countries along the route, with Chinas import effect on these countries being more significant than the export effect. Second, digital infrastructure has a positive impact on the effectiveness of the DSR initiative. Third, the DSR initiative is more effective when the countries along the route are Asian countries or high-income countries.

Explore the Interaction of Artists, Audience and Social Context in the Digital Communication of Dunhuang Murals

The Belt and Road Initiative, as an innovative continuation of the ancient Silk Road, provides a possibility for the exchange and docking of cultural values of countries around the world. As a cultural name card of China, Dunhuang culture is not only an important source of cultural consciousness and self-confidence, but also the best medium for cultural exchange and dialogue between the East and the West. Digital communication has the advantages of fast speed, wide audience and vivid information presentation, which opens up a new path for the inheritance and protection of Dunhuang culture. The use of digital technology to present Dunhuang culture to the public in a new way, so that the audience and Dunhuang culture have "close contact", to achieve an interactive experience. Artists provide artistic regeneration carriers for the digital communication of Dunhuang murals, audiences bring broader and more core inheritance forces for the digital communication of Dunhuang murals, and social context expands a multi-level and multi-dimensional strong communication platform for the digital communication of Dunhuang murals. In the process of digital communication of Dunhuang murals, the society, as an important carrier of digital communication of Dunhuang murals, broadened the form of dialogue and communication between artists and audiences, and the relationship between artists and audiences continued to develop towards a diversified and changeable trend.

Status and Prospects of Higher Education Cooperation between China and GCC Countries from the Perspective of the "Belt and Road" Initiative

GCC countries occupy a unique and indispensable position in the Belt and Road Initiative. It is crucial for China and GCC countries to foster humanistic exchanges and support talent development through cooperation in higher education. Since the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, China-GCC higher education cooperation has made significant progress, including the initial establishment of cooperation mechanisms, the consolidation of historical foundations in humanities and social sciences exchanges, and the creation of new opportunities for collaboration in science and technology. However, compared to Western countries, China-GCC higher education cooperation remains relatively weak and has substantial room for development. Future efforts can elevate this cooperation by promoting joint educational programs, establishing higher-level mechanisms for humanities exchanges, and deepening collaboration in frontier fields.

China’s Marine Political Economy in the South China Sea and Its Development Strategy under the Belt and Road Initiative: Opportunities, Challenges, and Trends on the 14th Five-Year Plan

To assure a brilliant and prosperous future of China, the Chinese government has been deliberately and continuously designing and promulgating a series of national plans and grand strategies. The implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and every Five-Year National Plans become absolutely important momentum to lift up China’s economy, which is seen as “Xiconomics.” To better realize the goals of these grand projects and national plans; the Chinese government also has smartly invented different institutions and regimes such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Silk Road Fund, forums, dialogues, or the establishment of strategic partnerships. As on China’s power expansion, the South China Sea definitely is one of the most important regions and areas for searching marine energy and resources. As on the BRI, that is to say, the “twenty first Century Maritime Silk Road,” the South China Sea is a critical route for ships from China’s coastal ports to the Indian Ocean, and then to European States. It is also a strategic route for ships to the South Pacific from China. Beijing firmly claims that the South China Sea is one of its national core interests without suspension and incredulity. Coincidentally, as on China’s National 14th Five-Year Plan (14th FYP), building a “Beautiful China” by 2035 is one of its goals of sustainable development and enhancement of people’s wellbeing. Thus, the South China Sea has occupied a very important position and national development for future sustainable development and marine economy. This paper aims to examine China’s marine political economy in the South China Sea as well as to scrutinize its strategic considerations and layout since 2021.

Lane Detection, Segmentation, Pothole Detection and Traffic Sign Recognition for ADAS

Lane detection, a critical aspect of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, is addressed in this work, combining classical computer vision methods with deep learning techniques. The proposed solution, utilizing a UNet-based model trained with TensorFlow and Keras, enhances vehicle perception for intelligent transportation systems. Integrated functionalities for pothole detection and traffic sign detection further contribute to safety and efficiency, enabling vehicles to identify road hazards and comply with regulations. The system encompasses data preprocessing, model training, and real-time video analysis, while a classical lane detection pipeline using OpenCV showcases various stages such as grayscale conversion, Gaussian blur, Canny edge detection, masking, Hough transform, and lane overlay. This comprehensive approach supports road safety, traffic management, and transportation efficiency initiatives, making significant strides in intelligent transportation systems and urban planning.

“Silk Road Utopia”: The Construction of National Image along the Belt and Road Initiative by Chinese Travel Variety Shows—— Taking Divas Hit The Road Season V as an Example

The news documentary Divas Hit The Road Season V, jointly produced by Hunan Radio and Television News Center and Mango TV, was broadcast, which showed the stories of young people and locals in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative and China. Based on the theory of space production, this paper analyses the construction of the national image of the Silk Road countries by the program. It was found that the program produced the Silk Road countries into a utopian national image through character setting, visual aesthetics and scene creation. “Silk Road Utopia” includes its culture, life and international relations. However, it should also be pointed out that the national image presented by the program is a filtered national image.

Effects of the Maritime Silk Road on Port Development along the Route of Belt and Road Initiative

Effects of the Maritime Silk Road on Port Development along the Route of Belt and Road Initiative

Is There a Chinese “Developmental peace”? Evidence from the Belt and Road Initiative’s Impact on Conflict States

ABSTRACT In the ten years since its inception, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has attracted significant attention for its transformative impact on geopolitics, international developmental aid and the environment of member countries. A comparatively understudied aspect is the clustering of BRI investments in conflict-affected states. Here, the BRI’s impact is potentially even greater, but highly ambiguous: on the one hand, it is providing much-needed development financing to countries with unattractive risk profiles, thus potentially contributing to their stabilization. On the other, this influx of capital risks exacerbating antagonisms over resource distribution and project control, creating additional grievances resulting from a lack of oversight, and reigniting conflicts along existing political fault lines. This article examines the BRI’s transformative impact on conflict-affected states, by focusing on effects on local conflict dynamics, the legitimacy of governing institutions and outright political violence. It establishes general patterns of BRI investments and their conflict exposure, and investigates these dynamics in more detail through case studies on Pakistan and Myanmar. Finally, it analyzes which BRI-specific practices have shaped its conflict impact, and how these could be improved.

Can the BRI Deliver High-Quality Development? A Multi-Actor Analysis of China’s Overseas Economic Zones

ABSTRACT The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved from its ambitious beginning into a framework focused on high-quality development (HQD), emphasizing environmental sustainability and people-centered development. This study examines to what extent these new directives are implemented in the context of China’s overseas economic zones (OEZs), employing a multi-actor-influence model to analyze the complex interactions and challenges inherent in these projects. Focusing on the Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone (VSDZ) in Laos, our analysis identifies three primary institutional challenges: fragmentation between the central and local governments in China, structural constraints imposed on Chinese businesses, and inadequate cooperation between Chinese and host country actors. These challenges underscore the complexities of translating Beijing’s top-down policy into effective action on the ground. The paper concludes with a discussion of the broader implications of these findings for the BRI’s future development.

Implementation of stroke care & road safety in India: Lessons from Australia.

India is home to one-fifth of the world's population and is currently the fastest-growing economy. As the health industry is growing, India needs to develop robust implementation of evidence-based health care addressing the major public health issues. Two of such issues India is grappling with are the establishment of stroke care and the reduction of road accidents. Australia has achieved notable success in implementing stroke care and reducing road accidents. In stroke, Australian initiatives include dedicated stroke units, the development of clinical guidelines, the implementation of acute interventions, the establishment of a national stroke foundation, and the stroke registry. As a result, the combined, primary, and secondary prevention measures, acute treatment, and rehabilitation have reduced the total disease burden of stroke from 2003 to 2023 by 53 per cent, from 7.4 to 3.5 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYS) per 1,000 population, which is a 56 per cent decline in fatal burden and 23 per cent decline in non-fatal burden. For road safety, Australia implemented evidence-based practices such as education, legislation including mandatory use of seat belts, and other road safety initiatives. Data show that seat belt use reached 98 per cent in Australia in 2023. Furthermore, about 20 per cent of drivers as well as passengers who were killed in crashes in 2024 did not wear seat belts. The reduction of speed limits in built-up areas, the adoption of monitoring technology, and the clever use of infrastructure are proving to be effective in reducing fatalities and serious injuries. Australia's implementation research can provide valuable insights into the efforts of mitigating the impact of stroke and enhancing road safety in India.

A Short Study on the Constructing Mechanism of Basic Education Community

The importance and urgency on the constructions of Basic Education Community originate from the needs of the balanced developments of basic education, the realizations of the Educational Internationalization and the healthy promotions of the Belt and Road Initiative. Social Interaction Theory, Educational Governance Theory and Educational Ecosystem Theory have played positive leading roles in the constructions of basic education communities. The governments, schools, families, communities, other educational actors and some organizations or institutions in the society who are involved in the constructions of the basic education communities ought to be burdened with their own responsibilities and obligations under the guidance of these theories.

The impact of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative on the carbon intensity of the participating countries

The impact of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative on the carbon intensity of the participating countries

The trade potential of grain crops in the countries along the Belt and Road: evidence from a stochastic frontier model

This study employs the stochastic frontier model (SFM) to analyze trade potential and efficiency in wheat and maize among Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2002 to 2021, encompassing 45 countries for wheat trade and 55 for maize trade. The empirical findings reveal that economic development level, population growth, government efficiency, political stability, and regulatory quality are critical determinants of trade efficiency. Notably, World Trade Organization (WTO) membership exhibits a negative correlation with trade efficiency, potentially reflecting challenges in rule implementation and opportunity utilization among member states. In the context of maize trade, increased arable land area is inversely associated with efficiency, suggesting potential issues in managing large-scale agricultural regions or optimizing land use. The BRI’s impact on trade efficiency varies across countries, with Turkey and Hungary showing improved wheat trade efficiency, while Ethiopia and Georgia experienced declines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, effective disease management strategies and diversified trade mechanisms significantly influenced trade efficiency. Furthermore, the study reveals that larger economies do not necessarily outperform small and medium-sized economies in terms of trade potential. These findings contribute significantly to the literature on agricultural trade and offer valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of enhancing government efficiency, political stability, and regulatory quality in the context of regional economic development initiatives such as the BRI. This research underscores the need for tailored approaches to trade policy and agricultural management, considering the unique characteristics and challenges faced by different economies along BRI.

Evolving Asian Production Networks, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Role of China

Evolving Asian Production Networks, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Role of China

A Comparative Study of China's Ecological Image Constructed by Chinese and British Media Discourse on the Belt and Road Initiative in 2023 Based on Transitivity System

The paper adopts a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to compare China’s ecological image constructed in the Belt and Road Initiative Reports in 2023 between China Daily and Reuters. It finds that China Daily's news reports on the Belt and Road involve material processes (59.8%)> verbal processes (19.5%) >mental processes (12.6%)>relational processes (6.6%)> existential processes (1.5%). Reuters’ news reports on the Belt and Road involve material processes (52.1%)>verbal processes (26.1%)>relational processes (16.1%), existential processes (3.8%)>mental processes (1.9%). The use of transitivity in the China Daily constructs an ecological image that is committed to rejecting political struggles, and pursuing peaceful and green development. In contrast, Reuters’s use of transitivity constructs an ecological image that pursues green development, but with an arrogant posture. The reason for the difference is that China Daily is influenced by the Chinese government’s ideology and political aims, while Reuters is influenced by Western values and strategic considerations of China's threat.

The spatial pattern, driving factors and evolutionary trend of energy cooperation and consumption in the “Belt and Road Initiative” countries

Controlling the sustained growth of energy consumption is a common concern worldwide. This research focuses on energy consumption in the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) countries, which play a crucial role in shaping the global energy market, to enhance energy cooperation among them. Our methodology involves analyzing the spatial-temporal energy cooperation pattern among these countries, identifying the main drivers, and forecasting the future scale and structure of energy consumption in each BRI country. The results show that: (1) Following the “Belt and Road Initiative”, energy cooperation among BRI countries has been strengthened, with Poland, the Russian Federation, and India playing more vital roles in this cooperation network; (2) Affluent level and energy intensity are the main drivers of energy consumption. The former contributes to the growth of energy consumption and is relatively more important in developing BRI countries, while the latter shows adverse effects, especially in more developed BRI countries. Population scale also contributes to the growth of energy consumption, but its effect is minor and diminishing; (3) Future energy consumption in BRI countries shows an overall upward trend. Reducing energy consumption will still be a major challenge confronting BRI countries, especially China, the Russian Federation, India, and Indonesia.

The Challenges Facing China's International Commercial Court System Under the "Belt and Road" Vision and China's Response

In order to provide all-round judicial guarantee for the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road", China established the China International Commercial Court in 2018 and achieved remarkable results after six years of construction. In recent years, with the increasing number of commercial disputes related to the Belt and Road Initiative, such as international trade, international logistics and international project contracting, the construction of China's international commercial courts is faced with difficulties related to insufficient international vision, backward jurisdiction rules, lack of appeal relief channels, difficulties in cross-border recognition and enforcement of judgments, and inflexible convergence of multiple dispute resolution methods. In view of this, the China International Commercial Court should be based on an international perspective, expand its jurisdiction to improve the jurisdiction rules, implement "two final trials" to reconstruct the appeal relief system, transform "factual reciprocity" to "constructive reciprocity" to ensure the cross-border recognition and enforcement of judgments, and constantly optimize the interface mechanism of litigation, arbitration and mediation has become an important way to solve the problem. It will help build a new situation of international commercial court.