The influence of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe

Abstract

This paper contributes to the growing body of literature aimed at understanding the wide-ranging implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by displaying the variety of contractual, formal and informal arrangements that China has entered with European states on a bilateral basis. Almost all European states have entered into one or another form of formal cooperation under the disguise of the BRI. In general, Eastern European states tend to have the highest degree of formal cooperation as official BRI members, whereas the picture is more diverse in the North-West of Europe. Cooperation ranges from investment-based infrastructure projects to joint financial investments, as well as projects in education or health. This complicated puzzle of arrangements ultimately favours China’s influence and will change Europe’s interconnectedness with China beyond transport connectivity.