The Belt and Road Initiative. The Economic Motives Expanding to Sustain Growth

When it comes to consider the colossal investment required, the strategy of building infrastructures in foreign countries seems neither the most intuitive nor the straightforward road to strengthen economic partnerships. And yet, at a closer look, this strategy is more likely to suit China’s needs perfectly. Hence, the explanation is both geopolitical and economic. In the strictly geopolitical sense, as seen in PART 1, the New Silk Road is instrumental to guarantee China an alternative pathway to those routes going through the Pacific Ocean and moving toward Europe. However, this is arguably not sufficient to explain the rationale behind which such an issue was addressed through a monumental infrastructural project. In fact, China’s economic structure suggests that the choice of creating infrastructures from scratch with the purpose of pursuing closer ties with Europe answers to the following economic considerations.