Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard Interviewed for Asian Sentinel story on the Future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

An October 21, 2023 story in Asian Sentinel entitled “Reduced BRI Expected to Offer Less Money” an interview with various experts including Dr. Jean-Marc. F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations. The story pondered the future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with some forecasting that China would spend much less on the BRI while others projected that the BRI would emphasize “smaller,” “greener,” and more “beautiful” projects going forward. The piece also highlighted the reduced attendance of top leaders, particularly Southeast Asian leaders, at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in late October. Dr. Blanchard offered comments on the future prospects of the BRI. He observed that “‘China’s contemporary economic situation will restrict the amounts government financial institutions can lend’” and remarked that “‘if China does not kick start its economy at some point then its ability to finance the BRI as a lender or investor will go down.’”

The full story appears in Toh Han Shih, “Reduced BRI Expected to Offer Less Money: Israel-Hamas war overshadows forum in Beijing,” Asian Sentinel, October 20, 2023, https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/reduced-bri-expected-offer-less-money. Copyright remains with the original holder.