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Podcast: What Do We Really Know About China's Belt And Road After 10 Years?


Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass and proposes a toast at the welcome banquet of the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass and proposes a toast at the welcome banquet of the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2019.

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Back when it was launched 10 years ago, Beijing dubbed it the "project of the century" and it became known as Chinese leader Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative as he announced plans to revive the ancient Silk Road.

But what do we really know about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- China's global infrastructure program -- after a decade of investments around the world?

On the latest episode of Talking China In Eurasia, host Reid Standish is joined by Jacob Mardell, the editorial coordinator for China at the German NGO N-Ost, to unpack where the ambitious project stands today, dispel myths over how it works, and take a deeper look at where it's headed.

Listen to the full episode here:

What Do We Really Know About China's Belt And Road After 10 Years?
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    Reid Standish

    Reid Standish is an RFE/RL correspondent in Prague and author of the China In Eurasia briefing. He focuses on Chinese foreign policy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and has reported extensively about China's Belt and Road Initiative and Beijing’s internment camps in Xinjiang. Prior to joining RFE/RL, Reid was an editor at Foreign Policy magazine and its Moscow correspondent. He has also written for The Atlantic and The Washington Post.

  • 16x9 Image

    Katie Toth

    Katie Toth is an audio producer and journalist researching the impact of border security on human rights. Her work has been featured on NPR and the CBC and in Foreign Policy and Vice.

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China In Eurasia
Reid Standish

In recent years, it has become impossible to tell the biggest stories shaping Eurasia without considering China’s resurgent influence in local business, politics, security, and culture.

Subscribe to this biweekly dispatch in which correspondent Reid Standish builds on the local reporting from RFE/RL’s journalists across Eurasia to give you unique insights into Beijing’s ambitions and challenges.

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