Our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

Yuen Yuen Ang: Western understanding of BRI as a 'strategy' based on a faulty logic

03:44

At the 2025 Summer Davos, political economist Yuen Yuen Ang, the Alfred Chandler Chair of Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University, challenged the prevailing Western frame that views the Belt and Road Initiative as a rigid master plan, or a "grand strategy." Instead, she characterizes it as a vast, adaptive experiment – what she terms "directed adaptation." By combining top‑level vision with grassroots innovation, the BRI has spawned diverse development models. This perspective not only reframes the narrative away from the "debt trap" critique but also underscores the value of agility and local responsiveness in global infrastructure diplomacy.

Search Trends