The Belt and Road Initiative: an analysis through a systematic literature review.

Abstract

In 2013, the Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, a majestic project that aimed at increasing international cooperation and economic growth of the countries involved. This thesis is divided in four chapters that analyse the initiative in order to thoroughly comprehend the project and examine how it has been portrayed by different actors. In particular, in the first chapter the historical background that eventually led to the creation of the BRI is analysed. The second chapter of this research presents the project by describing its objectives and the various elements involved in the implementation of the initiative. In the third chapter, the Chinese official narrative about the BRI is presented, focusing on how it has changed through the years. Furthermore, an analysis of the international academic debate about the initiative is provided. The fourth chapter presents a systematic literature review of a selected sample of Chinese academic articles about the project, with particular attention given to the critical aspects presented in some of the papers.