Abstract China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a call for an open and inclusive model of
sustainable international economic, political and cultural cooperation and development
under the guiding principles of the peaceful coexistence of sovereign states, achieved
through multiple types of increased connectivity and financed by new multilateral financial
instruments. This article outlines the evolution of the BRI, its relationship to changing
conditions in China and the world, and the ideas and thinking that underly it as expressed in …

Chinese officials have downplayed the security dimensions of Xi Jinping's signature foreign
policy initiative—the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, Chinese strategists have
extensively analyzed three major issues: strategic benefits the BRI can provide for China,
key security risks and challenges, and ways to reduce those risks. This study surveys their
views and comments on implications for US strategy. Key findings include: The main
strategic benefits of the BRI include bolstering regional stability, improving China's energy …