Examining the Belt and Road Initiative:

China’s Impact on the International Development Assistance Regime

ISBN: 978-981-96-2103-3

Author: Juichi Inada

Publisher: Springer Singapore, 2025

Reviewed by: Olawale YEMISI

Department of History, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

China’s global influence, in terms of fostering economic, political, and development cooperation through the prism of the South-South agenda, Chinese-style development models, and redefining strategies and frameworks of development, cannot be underestimated. Given the increasing complexity of Beijing’s involvement in global development affairs, Juichi Inada’s book is timely and of significant importance in re-centering debates and dialogues on the pros and cons of China’s development assistance regime. The book is divided into three sections, comprising nine chapters, and is built around the emergence and impact of China as an international development assistance donor, with a focus on its involvement in Asia and Africa.

Over the last two decades, China has experienced phenomenal growth in terms of both macroeconomic and microeconomic indices. The phenomenal growth has, in turn, empowered China in its pursuit of multilateral, open-door global relationship strategies, with a significant presence in the affairs of international organisations and the provision of aid and support to various states through infrastructural loans and assistance. However, China’s emergence and increasing volume of grant aid and loans have raised international suspicion and debates around China’s motives and economic assistance. Juichi’s explanations of the “Bad Guy” theory (risk), “Good Guy” theory (benefits) and the intricacies between the tenets of Western and Chinese development models (Washington-Beijing Consensus), rooted in liberalisation and industrialisation through the provision of loans, were a clear representation of contemporary international relations affairs and also a solid fulcrum for assessing the impact of China on the international development assistance regime.

Part I of the book consists of two chapters, which focus on the trends of international donors and the changing landscape of international aid coordination and democratisation using the case of Cambodia. Cambodia’s nation-building strategies have relied profoundly on support from the international community. Prior to China’s aid to Cambodia, Japan and other Western allied countries dominated the streams of development aid to Cambodia. However, since 2010, China’s aid to Cambodia has increased tremendously, amounting to $400 million between 2010 and 2021, and surpassing Japan. China’s aid streams to Cambodia present a changing landscape of the Chinese approach to aid coordination. Unlike the multilateral aid approach of Cambodia’s pre-2010 major donors, China dismisses the existing approach to aid coordination, instead employing bilateral relations with the Cambodian government and the Ministry of Public Works, as well as other agencies responsible for infrastructure. However, the increasing economic and infrastructural aid to Cambodia has been received with mixed feelings, given the positive and negative implications of China's development models on its citizens, resources, and global economic multilateral relations. Cambodia’s government’s authoritarian identity in the global governance assessment landscape has raised significant concerns, especially within the prism of Beijing’s dominance and principle of non-interference. Unlike Western donors’ emphasis on democratic identity, Cambodia’s tilt towards authoritarianism has raised the question of whether China’s dominance can be attributed as a cause. However, while such positions are difficult to affirm, the decline in aid coordination and Cambodia’s reliance on Beijing, with little concern for the prevailing political system, have contributed to international diplomatic pressure on democracy in Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s authoritarian approach to governance issues.

Part II of the book consists of three chapters that discuss Asian infrastructural development and the Japan-China rivalry in terms of their influence in Asia. Infrastructure development has been a cornerstone of China’s relations with countries of Asia under the prism of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), while Japan has also promoted infrastructural development through the trinity of investment, trade and loans and aid. Through China’s infrastructure financing and Japan’s employed export strategy, both countries have embarked on a cold rivalry in investing in the infrastructural sectors of Asian countries’ critical areas, such as ports, railroads, roads, telecommunications and electrical power supply projects. Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste have witnessed a subtle Sino-Japanese rivalry in infrastructural construction and quality infrastructure politics. China and Japan have also made a significant impact in Sri Lanka. China’s engagement with Sri Lanka dates back to the 1960s, but entered into an expansion stage in 2005. Since 2005, China has not only disbursed several loans and aid to Sri Lanka but also embarked on infrastructural projects. Japan has also established a significant presence in Sri Lanka through its firms, the development of ports, and the construction of industrial parks. Critics of Sino-Sri Lanka relations have identified debt trap and restructuring as significant negatives, while Japan’s Sri Lanka economic recovery indices in its relations have served as the fulcrum of engagement. The problems and politics surrounding Myanmar’s Myitsone Dam reflect issues related to China’s global infrastructural agenda and the challenge of quality assurance. The case of Myanmar’s Myitsone project reflects the implications of China’s mega projects on citizens and the state of sustainable corporate social responsibility in covering the costs and impacts of these projects on the socio-economic and livelihood conditions of citizens.

Part III of the book focuses on China’s impact on Africa’s development. Although the presence of Western powers and the World Bank in Africa cannot be underestimated, the emergence of China in Africa, both bilaterally and through multilateral organizations (such as BRICS), has established a profound landmark in several African countries. China’s investment, infrastructural loans and projects, aid, military presence, volume of trade and foreign direct investment have increased tremendously. However, as in the case of Asia, China also faces significant challenges in projects in Africa, caused by problems of relevance, the unprofitability of these projects, citizens’ opposition due to their short- and long-term effects, as well as unstable political climates in these countries. Juichi’s analysis of Angola – an important Chinese partner in Africa – reflects the significant relations between several African countries and China. In the case of Angola, China, through the Export-Import Bank of China, has provided substantial assistance in terms of infrastructure construction and contributions to the education and health sectors, thereby contributing to Angola’s post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation of its infrastructure. However, the increasing aid and loans have been a source of criticism, especially from the perspective of debt, corruption, and governance problems. Using China’s presence in Angola and Rwanda, two leading post-conflict African states, Juichi employed the Washington-Beijing Consensus and development style to examine the nature, pros, and cons of Western and Chinese presence in African countries’ development paths and the intersection between development and politics. Juichi also examined the impact of China on international development finance. China’s emergence and increasing influence in global international development finance has created cold tension, especially among traditional aid and loan donors. China’s motives and long-term impacts on European-United States Bretton Woods institutions and systems present an ongoing dialogue, with present manifestations in contemporary international relations and international development finance, including loans, grants, and aid.

The book concludes with a reflective afterword on the current state of global relations, offering a perspective on the current state of China and Japan in international relations, as well as similar Cold War confrontations in the global political and economic sphere. The uniqueness of the book stems from three standpoints. One, Juichi, at the end of various chapters and the afterword, set new frontiers of debate that could provide insights for researchers trying to interrogate similar fields – a subtle affirmation that the field of international relations and China’s role is emerging and remains a topic to be studied. Second, methodologically, the book is rigorous and of international standard. Although it was written during Juichi’s one-year stay as a visiting professor at the Reischauer Center of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C., USA, the top-notch delivery is a reflection of Juichi’s town and gown experiences, drawing from decades of research and evaluation of development projects. Juichi’s case study approach and use of comparative analysis reveal the changing landscape of China’s international development assistance regime, not as a singular event, but as an intertwined process with global states, non-state actors, and developing countries, highlighting the pros and cons of these global relations. Examining the Belt and Road Initiative: China’s Impact on the International Development Assistance Regime is a landmark study that offers concrete insights into contemporary global developments in the international arena. The book is highly recommended for university departments of History and International Relations, development institutes, policymaking institutions and non-state actors globally. The book is essential reading for everyone.