E xplainer - China’s B elt a nd R oad I nitiative: Ten years on

The occurrence o f such incidents reflect a wider challenge to the P RC’s BRI strategy both now and in the future, as w ell as the p ossible consequences of engaging with r egions with h igh social and political u nrest. [...] The measures promised greater ‘openness and inclusiveness’ regarding the PRC’s sustainability practices, by p lacing greater emphasis o n the needs and c onditions of host countries, as well as international s tandards.2 6 Such aims r esulted in t he BRI International Green Development Coalition d eveloped by the PRC’s Ministry of Environmental P rotection and the United Nations Environment Progra. [...] The power sector supply chain i s largely owned and controlled b y the c entral g overnment, through ‘ownership of entities at the g eneration, t ransmission, a nd distribution 3 3 Huma Rasheed, Kinza Kanwal and Nida Abbas, ‘ CPEC and the challenges f or the energy sector of Pakistan’, Bulletin of B usiness and Economics, 11:1 (2022). [...] Whereas to date the PRC h as relied h eavily on the support of local security forces, such resources have p roved insucient.4 2 A release in February 2023 by Pakistan’s Punjab H ome Department urged t he P RC t o engage more private contractors as a result of growing unrest.4 3 B esides the reinforcement of i ts own PSCs, the PRC’s latest update on the GSI’s objectives a cknowledge the importance. [...] Investing i n soft power to consolidate social and political ties: Rather t han i ntervening t hrough political or military measures, the PRC is likely t o invest more in foreign aid, cultural and e ducational i nitiatives in order to improve the perception of C hinese projects a mongst locals and governments, with the ultimate goal of diusing t ensions.