China-Europe Bri Connectivity: What’S Wrong, What’S Next

Connectivity is definitely a prerequisite of economic development and China has known and experienced that for millennia. To get rich, this country focussed on developing domestic infrastructure and it now goes further on, committing itself to building infrastructure networks at intercontinental level, under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Naturally, China’s proposition to the other countries has embeded its national interests - which is perfectly acceptable up to a certain level – but, in practice, the Chinese companies’ actions have pushed their own interests much further, up to the point where their partners have come to the conclusion that the win-win promise of Chinese officials means nothing more than „China wins twice”, while for them, China-financed and implemented projects might rather equate with losses and risks. This paper looks at these issues, focussing on what’s wrong and trying to envision the way forward (what’s next).