The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: Strategic Responses of Governments and Multinational Companies

China faces significant hurdles in implementing its Belt and Road Initiative. Since its launch a decade ago, the BRI has become a crucial component of Chinese external economic relations. It has the potential to alter the economic and political landscape of Asia but also Europe. As such, the Belt and Road initiative have placed China at the heart of geopolitics in the Eurasian region but also globally. Therefore, China faces significant hurdles in implementing these initiatives, with many countries and organizations around the world becoming increasingly weary of China’s BRI and geopolitical strategy.

This book examines these issues of the BRI and analyzes the impact of the BRI on Chinese involvement in Asia and Europe. It sheds light on the strategic responses of host country governments and regional economic organizations, as well as the reactions of Chinese and other multinational companies, and ultimately the Chinese government. This book will appeal to scholars, researchers and practitioners of International Business and Policy, particularly those interested in the BRI and China’s geo-economic influence.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Filip De Beule is Associate Professor of International Business at the Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation at the Faculty of Economics and Business at KU Leuven University (Belgium). His main research interests include the internationalization of firms, social enterprises, the geography of investment, and the study of emerging market multinationals.

Philippe De Lombaerde is Director at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) (Bruges, Belgium), and Associate Professor of International Economics at Neoma Business School (Rouen, France). His research interests include international trade, regional economic integration, comparative regionalism, and globalization and regionalization indicators.

Haiyan Zhang is Associate Professor of International Business at the Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at NEOMA Business School (France). His research interests include international business activities of Chinese and overseas Chinese-owned enterprises, management issues of international joint ventures in transition economies, Chinese outward FDI in Europe, EU-China FDI relations, and related issues.