The January 27, 2026, video meeting of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation took place at a moment of unusual global tension. Trade protectionism is resurging, geopolitical rivalries are hardening, and the multilateral trading system that supported decades of growth is under visible strain.
Against this backdrop, the Council's release of its 2025 research report, The Belt and Road Initiative: High-Quality International Economic Cooperation, was more than routine documentation. It was a strategic intervention in a world searching for workable models of cooperation. Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu framed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a response to what he called "accelerating changes unseen in a century" and the erosion of the post-war international order.
That framing is significant. Since its launch in 2013, the BRI has positioned itself not as a closed bloc but as an open development platform centred on connectivity, trade facilitation and shared growth. According to the Advisory Council's report, the initiative now involves participation from more than 150 countries and international organisations across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the South Pacific, making it one of the most geographically extensive cooperation frameworks in modern history.
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The report documents steady growth in trade between China and BRI partner countries over the past decade, accounting for an increasing share of global merchandise flows and providing critical market access for many developing economies. For countries facing infrastructure gaps, limited industrial capacity or high logistics costs, BRI-linked investments in ports, railways, energy and digital infrastructure address tangible development constraints rather than offering ideological prescriptions. This practical orientation helps explain the initiative's durability despite shifting political winds.
Critics often focus narrowly on debt sustainability. The Advisory Council's analysis presents a more nuanced picture. It notes that most BRI financing blends concessional lending, commercial investment and public-private partnerships, with growing emphasis on project viability, local economic impact and alignment with host-country development priorities.
In recent years, China and partner countries have expanded cooperation with multilateral development banks and adopted internationally recognised standards on procurement, environmental protection and financial transparency. These adjustments reflect an evolving model shaped by experience rather than a rigid framework.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the report highlights emerging areas that will define the BRI's next phase. Council members called for deeper collaboration in digital connectivity, artificial intelligence and the digital economy, sectors where global governance remains fragmented. Digital trade platforms, cross-border e-commerce and smart logistics systems can lower entry barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, helping integrate them into global value chains. In this sense, the BRI is evolving from a bricks-and-mortar programme into a broader architecture for economic cooperation.
Its geopolitical implications are equally important. At a time when unilateral sanctions, export controls and "decoupling" narratives are reshaping international relations, the BRI signals that openness and interdependence remain viable strategies. The Advisory Council links the initiative to rebuilding trust among nations and stabilising expectations in the global economy. Trust carries measurable economic effects, including lower risk premiums, higher investment flows and more resilient supply chains. In this way, the BRI also functions as a confidence-building mechanism.
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The report underscores that project selection and implementation increasingly rely on joint consultation and shared responsibility, aligning national development strategies with regional connectivity goals. This approach resonates with the idea of a community with a shared future for humanity, which seeks to balance national interests with collective global outcomes.
In a fragmented international environment, no single initiative can solve every systemic challenge. But the evidence presented suggests the BRI has already made a meaningful contribution to growth, connectivity and cooperation across regions. By sustaining quality, transparency and inclusiveness, it can remain a stabilising force that channels development pragmatism into a world increasingly tempted by zero-sum thinking.
