Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz has participated in a roundtable at the International Studies Association (ISA) annual convention on the impacts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in South Asia.
Riaz noted that China’s influence has increased in Bangladesh in the past decade, and it has become the largest trade partner of Bangladesh. Between 2010 and 2020, China provided 2.6 billion TIV of weapons to Bangladesh. This constitutes 73.6% of Bangladesh’s foreign military acquisitions over this period. Thirty-five projects are being implemented under the BRI and China has released about $4.5 billion. He noted five issues related to the BRI supported projects in Bangladesh. They include: project sustainability and high Environmental, Social, or Governance (ESG) risks, coal-fired power plants under the BRI that are a carbon catastrophe, lack of transparency and high inflated costs. The ISA Convention was held in San Francisco April 3-6.
