Eyck Freymann: How China’s Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Bet Undercuts U.S. Dominance
In great-power rivalries, it matters who’s on your side. Twelve years since launching its Belt and Road infrastructure project, Beijing has funneled a trillion-plus dollars into projects in some 150 countries, literally planting its flag around the globe and acquiring a growing roster of economic and diplomatic partners in the process. In the first episode of our three-part series, “Building Influence,” the WSJ’s Gabriele Steinhauser and Lingling Wei, Boston University’s Kevin Gallagher and Stanford’s Eyck Freymann explain how the program has bolstered China’s economic security and given it a platform to cut deals that challenge Western-led norms and counterbalance U.S. influence. Luke Vargas hosts.