China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to connect Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond through a network of infrastructure projects, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, the BRI has expanded to more than 100 countries and regions, with an estimated investment of over $1 trillion.
One of the key regions for the BRI is South Asia, where China has been involved in various infrastructure projects across sectors such as power, transport, telecommunications, and water and sanitation.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), South Asia will need $6.3 trillion in climate-adjusted infrastructure investments by 2030 to maintain the current levels of economic growth.