Legal Research Reports:

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Belt and Road Initiative.

This report covers the legal and policy frameworks that govern the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
(formerly known as “One Belt One Road”) in select jurisdictions and regions around the globe,
namely, China, Cambodia, Djibouti, Egypt, Greece, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Pakistan,
the Philippines, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom
(UK), and certain Central Asian, Caribbean, and South American countries. The BRI is a
transcontinental investment strategy and program with the aim of promoting economic
connectivity and integration in more than 100 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa through
a large set of rail, road, and sea infrastructure projects, energy pipelines, special economic zones,
and other areas of cooperation meant to expand China’s economic and political influence. In 2015,
the Chinese government issued an official outline of the principles, framework, priorities of
cooperation, and cooperation mechanisms of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century
Maritime Silk Road (which together now are referred to as the BRI).

The report looks at the nature and types of agreements made by these countries, the debt
implication of some of the major projects, the extent of involvement of local companies and the
amount of job creation, and whether projects have any military or strategic purpose in addition
to commercial uses. (Aug. 21)