The BRI as an Iterative Project: Influencing the Politics of Conflict-Affected States and Being Shaped by the Risks of Fragile Settings

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the BRI on the peace processes of conflict-affected states (CAS) bordering China, namely Nepal and Myanmar. It underscores the need to assess the impact of the BRI as an iterative process: where the BRI impacts the political economy of host CAS; but also how contextual specificities of the CAS, undertaking a peace process, are reshaping the delivery of the BRI. Here, the article first outlines that the BRI is not only physically transforming host CAS through infrastructure and connectivity but also influencing the core agenda of the peace processes, notably federalism, through the uneven distribution of benefits of infrastructural development. Second, the challenges of working in the complex settings of CAS, with fragmented state authority, and political uncertainty have also brought significant changes in the delivery of the BRI and Chinese diplomacy broadly.