MAPPING THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE REACH, IMPLICATIONS, CONSEQUENCES EDITORS Harsh V Pant and Premesha Saha Introduction © 2021 Observer Research Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from ORF. Attribution: Harsh V Pant and Premesha Saha (Editors), Mapping the Belt and Road Initiative: Reach, Implications, Consequences, February 2021, Observer Research Foundation. Observer Research Foundation 20 Rouse Avenue, Institutional Area New Delhi 110002 India
[email protected] www.orfonline.org ORF provides non-partisan, independent analyses and inputs on matters of security, strategy, economy, 2 development, energy and global governance to diverse decision makers (governments, business communities, academia and civil society). ORF’s mandate is to conduct in-depth research, provide inclusive platforms, and invest in tomorrow’s thought leaders today. Editing and Production: Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee Design and layout: Rahil Miya Shaikh ISBN: 978-93-90494-37-8 Contents Introduction INTRODUCTION 5 Harsh V Pant and Premesha Saha SECTION 1 PIVOTAL GEOGRAPHIES: PROJECTS, PROGRESS, AND THE CHALLENGES SOUTH ASIA CPEC: Building a Path For 9 Pakistan’s Financial Ruin Kriti M Shah BRI & Afghanistan: Systemic Challenges Impede 13 Integration Shubhangi Pandey Bangladesh: Riding the BRI Tide 20 Joyeeta Bhattacharjee The BRI Quandary in Nepal and Sri Lanka 24 Sohini Nayak SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA 3 Myanmar and Thailand: A Cautious Approach