China's Belt And Road Initiative Blackened by Coal
As China's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) spreads to countries around the world, energy analysts say the government has been ducking responsibility for the environmental effects. President Xi Jinping's signature trade infrastructure and development policy launched in 2013 has grown dramatically in the past five years. Starting with construction projects and plans in 64 countries, BRI now lists 125 nations, according to the China Global Investment Tracker published by the American Enterprise Institute.
The nearly U.S. $1-trillion (6.7-trillion yuan) program has expanded China's economic and political influence as well as its environmental footprint with energy-consuming projects stretching from Asia to Africa and South America. Yet, China seems to have taken little responsibility for the ecological impacts in foreign countries where it has financed development.
