CHINA BELT AND ROAD INIITATIVE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA:THE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

The President Xi Jinping announced the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in 2013, and more than five years have passed since then. This study examines the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is gaining speed and is currently generating interest from various European countries. Given its geographic location and fresh economic potential, Southeast Asia is still essential to this Chinese-led strategy. Given the vast economic prospects it offers the ASEAN countries, they are a part of the BRI. While outlining the BRI's broad objectives for Southeast Asia, numerous issues have surfaced that call into question the BRI's effectiveness.