Belt and Road 2.0: How China Is Redefining Its Global Ambitions

What does the next phase of the Belt and Road Initiative look like? How is China reimagining its global presence through education, green energy, and digital innovation? In this episode of Mapping Global China Conversations, we sit down with Dr. Li Lifan, Associate Research Fellow and Assistant Director at the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Center. Drawing on decades of research and fieldwork in Central Asia and beyond, Dr. Li unpacks how China’s Belt and Road Initiative is evolving into a more targeted, sustainable, and people-centered endeavor.

 

🔹 Our Guest Dr. Li Lifan – Leading expert on China-Central Asia relations, energy diplomacy, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; Associate Research Fellow and Assistant Director, Institute of International Relations, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

 

🔍 Themes Explored

✅ Belt and Road 2.0: “Small and Beautiful” Projects – How China’s new focus on smaller, impactful projects marks a shift from massive infrastructure to people-centered initiatives that prioritize skills, local employment, and sustainable outcomes.

✅ Vocational Training and Soft Power – The rise of Luban Workshops as an upgrade to Confucius Institutes, providing technical skills and fostering goodwill in Central Asia and beyond.

✅ Green Energy Diplomacy – China’s increasing investment in solar, wind, and hydropower projects in Central Asia, and what this means for the global energy transition and China’s 2030/2060 carbon goals.

✅ Digital Silk Road – How projects like e-government systems in Kazakhstan are reshaping governance and connectivity as part of the Digital BRI, demonstrating China’s ambitions in digital infrastructure abroad.

✅ Tripartite Cooperation and Global Outreach – China’s efforts to collaborate with European partners in Africa and other regions, challenging perceptions of the Belt and Road as an exclusive initiative.

✅ Changing Global Perceptions – Reflections on criticisms of the BRI and how education, responsible investment, and green development could redefine China’s global image.

 

📺 Watch Now Discover how China is redefining its global ambitions through Belt and Road 2.0 — from vocational training to green energy and digital connectivity — and what this transformation means for the world.