How to Clean Up the Belt and Road
If China’s leaders are serious about reform, there are several things they can do to cut down on corruption, waste and local anger.
Xi promised a new path at his Belt and Road Forum.
Photographer: Nicolas Asfouri/Getty Images
China clearly has a credibility problem. Its attempts to cast itself as a good corporate citizen and defender of multilateralism and free trade have been greeted skeptically well beyond the halls of the White House. If Chinese President Xi Jinping really wants to change that perception globally, there’s an obvious place to start: the Belt and Road.
Stung by criticism of his signature infrastructure-building initiative, Xi has vowed that Beijing will no longer tolerate corruption in Belt and Road projects, will adhere to international rules and will enforce high environmental standards. To many ears, this sounds like spin: China is clearly looking to attract investment from more countries and financial institutions as the initiative grows beyond what Beijing can finance on its own. It doesn’t have to be.