Meeting

Term Member Discussion on China's Belt and Road Initiative

Monday, May 3, 2021
China Daily CDIC via Reuters
Speakers

Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Senior Non-Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; CFR Term Member; Member, CFR Independent Task Force on a U.S. Response to China's Belt and Road Initiative

Vice President, Global Customer Success, Liferay; Former CFR Term Member; Member, CFR Independent Task Force on a U.S. Response to China's Belt and Road Initiative

Presider

Senior Analyst, Eurasia Group; CFR Term Member

Introductory Remarks

Research Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Codirector, CFR Independent Task Force on a U.S. Response to China's Belt and Road Initiative

Though the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy endeavor, has the potential to meet developing countries’ needs and spur economic growth, the reality is often otherwise. The COVID-19 pandemic has made a U.S. response more urgent, as the global economic contraction has accelerated the reckoning with BRI-related debt. Panelists discuss  how the United States should respond to BRI, including by putting forward an affirmative agenda of its own, drawing on its strengths, and coordinating with allies and partners to promote sustainable, secure, and environmentally responsible development.

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