The viability of the Belt Road Initiative

In this bachelor thesis the viability of China’s Belt Road Initiative will be assessed. First, the current transportation network design will be sketched. This sketch will include the emergence of the design, the motives behind it, the current transportation situation and the cons of the current network design. Afterwards, the Belt Road Initiative, as initiated by China, will be explained. Taking into account China’s motivations, BRI-related investments, (geo)politics and the consequences. Knowing this, the future potential of the Belt Road Initiative will be discussed, which seems to be quite extensive. The conclusion qualitatively indicates that the Belt Road Initiative can be considered a viable complement to the current network design. Moreover, it can be stated, in a qualitative sense, that the Belt Road Initiative increases the current transportation efficiency. Taking this into account, the Belt Road Initiative is concluded to be a viable alternative, which gives China an even more stable position in global trade.