By Al Edwards

Reporting from the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) conceptualised and championed by China’s President Xi sees the world
connected by infrastructure, trade and cooperation and has undoubtedly gained traction since first
proposed and executed a decade ago.

Speaking at the Belt and Roads Studies Network Plenary Meeting entitled “ Belt and Road Exchanges
and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations”, which took place a day before the official opening, of the
Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Professor of Global Law at the FGV Law School in Brazil, Evandro
Menezes de Carvalho in his presentation made the case for Latin America and the Caribbean to pay
closer attention to the BRI.

He pointed out that “ Chinese trade and investments with the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC) countries are a very concrete reality. It is no coincidence that 21 of the 33
countries have signed declarations of participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. Thus, the BRI extends
to Latin America and the Caribbean.

In South America, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and most
recently Argentina have joined the BRI. Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay do not formally participate in the
Initiative, but are beneficiaries of significant Chinese investments.

In Jamaica, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has made a significant contribution in building
highways that link the country. It has recently competed the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of the highway
and has now completed 20 projects in Jamaica over a ten year period.

Trade with Latin America and the Caribbean has jumped from US$180 billion in 2010 to US$450 billion in
2021 with China maintaining a US$7 billion surplus. Analysts predict that China-Latin America and the
Caribbean trade could surpass US$ 700 billion by 2035 and China could surpass the United States as the
region’s top trading partner.

de Carvalho continued:
“As a Brazilian and a Latin American, the BRI needs to be better known in Latin America. For this,
investing in research projects and disseminating knowledge and information about the Initiative is also
necessary.

“China is a major investment provider to the world and the most important, a country that offers the
BRI as an Initiative to promote development and stability to the world through a diplomacy that respect
the cultural diversity and the sovereignty of countries. The new Silk Road is the project under which the
Chinese government gives its foreign policy a new sign of openness with Chinese colours while providing
to the partners elements to understand diplomacy with Chinese features.”

The Brazilian senior professor made clear that the BRI methodology is based on joint consultation and
joint construction to increase partner countries’ effective participation and provide mutual benefits
through attracting capital using public-private partnerships, decentralizing risks and increasing the
commitment of participants.

The BRI is not just focused on the Asian concept, it is indeed a global concept designed for the
betterment of humankind.

President Xi Jinping has said the BRI “is open and serves as a “circle of friends’…a big circle in which all
interested countries can participate. The glory of the ancient Silk Road shows that geographical distance
is not insurmountable.”

In other words, it is open to all countries and international and regional organizations. It is open to
regions such as the Caribbean, South America and Africa. The BRI expands and goes beyond its original
geographical scope.

“The holding of this third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is a message of optimism in
a world of many uncertainties. In the ten years since the initiative was launched, several infrastructure
projects have been planned, accomplished, and analysed critically by several experts. Between setbacks
and achievements, the BRI has promoted dialogue and economic development between the nations
participating in this new Silk Road. According to recent news, BRI has managed US$2 trillion in contracts.

“The BRI is not a complete and indivisible package pre-established by the Chinese government in which
the participating states must choose whether or not to join the new Silk Road in its entirety. The
projects falling under the scope of the BRI can be negotiated and agreed upon separately, taking into
account each country’s specifics and needs. According to Vision and Actions, BRI is intended to be “ a
positive effort to seek new models of international cooperation and global governance.”

“ The BRI is neither limited to being a free trade zone nor is it intended to be a common market along
the lines of the European Union’s economic integration project. The promotion of people-to-people
exchanges; however, a dimension absent in free trade zones, is a key component of the BRI.”
Evandro Menezes de Carvalho is a Professor of Global Law and Coordinator of the Center for Brazil-
China Studies at FGV Law School in Rio, Brazil. He is also an Associate Professor at the Fluminese Federal
University (UFF) Law School