China, ethiopia and the significance of the belt and road initiative

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mobilizes Chinese construction and investment in developing countries. Ethiopia is Africas "model" BRI country, due to Chinas elaborate infrastructure financing and building and its many manufacturing enterprises. Based on field and documentary research, we examine the BRIs meaning, as understood from the perspective of Ethiopia, in comparison to many Chinaoriented studies. We find that it is an informal Chinese state promise that even when capital flows from China to non-BRI states are curbed, flows to BRI states will be encouraged, and that Ethiopia exercises agency in leveraging the BRI for its development agenda. Using a comprehensive data set, we show that Chinese investment has become even more important in Ethiopia with the BRI and that neither COVID-19 nor Ethiopias civil war has reversed that trend. We also discuss local criticisms of Chinese activities, which challenge the wholly positive view of the BRI, but do not affirm the US-generated negative narrative.