Since the announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the project has been perceived by many as a one-sided, Chinese ambition. Some have seen it as a massive enterprise to jump-start the Chinese economy before it slows down; other detractors feel it is a strategy to create a new world order.
But as the recent Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held last month in Beijing shows, China is increasingly taking on a global bent. A total of 29 heads of state and government attended the event, along with government representatives from more than 130 countries and regions and leaders from over 70 international organizations such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
