Road and Belt Monitoring
This edition of the Belt and Road Monitor covers developments from 1 to 31 January 2025. If you enjoy our Belt and Road coverage, consider checking out Janes IntelTrak, a visual analytic tool that tracks and maps the global activities of Chinese and Russian companies in real time and includes expanded analysis of projects highlighted in “Top Developments.” The Monitor draws from transactional data collected daily by our proprietary tool, Janes IntelTrak, as well as research compiled by our team of analysts.
Graph notes: These transactions include Chinese loans and grants but also contracts and subcontracts. Not all transactions will come to fruition, and this graphic does not account for cancellations, disruptions, failure to disburse funds, etc. This depicts the announced values of transactions with involving Chinese entities operating overseas, which could include Chinese funded projects but also foreign funded projects involving Chinese contractors, across multiple BRI-linked sectors.
Top Developments
China’s CMEC Builds Critical Infrastructure in Maldives
On 6 January, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) signed an agreement with the Maldivian Ministry of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure to develop critical infrastructure on Gulhifalhu Island of Malé atoll in Maldives. The project includes construction of an electricity distribution network, water and sewage systems, dewatering system, roads, a gigabit ethernet passive optical network (GPON) ducting system, and a gas storage and distribution system. The project is being developed on the island where India is also involved in constructing the Thilmalé Bridge project.
Spacesail Expands in South, Central Asia
On 7 January, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), one of a few Chinese rivals to Starlink, registered the company in Pakistan as the Chinese satellite internet company is expanding its footprint across Asia. Later, on 23 January, SSST registered a subsidiary in Astana, Kazakhstan named Spacesail Kazakhstan with a capital investment of USD17 million. A co-operation agreement with the Kazakh government is expected later this year.
China CAMC Engineering to Develop Nicaragua’s Pacific Port of Sandino
On 8 January, China National Machinery Industry Corp. (Sinomach) announced that its subsidiary, China CAMC Engineering Co. signed an agreement with Nicaragua’s National Port Company for the Sandino Port Service Capacity Upgrade Project. The project includes improving the operational efficiency and service level capacity of the Port of Sandino, located on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. The Port of Sandino is directly linked to the capital city of Managua with a 70-kilometre paved road, and is crucial for Nicaragua’s energy imports due to its proximity to Nicaragua’s oil refinery near the town of Puerto Sandino.
CNCEC Signs on to “National Priority” Project in Nigeria
On 15 January, China National Chemical Engineering International Corporation Ltd. (CNCEC) and Emirati firm Alpha Grip Management Company (AGMC) formed a strategic partnership to develop, build, and finance a USD20 billion industrial complex in Nigeria’s Delta State. The Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park, also known as the Ogidigben Export Processing Zone, has been under discussion and development for at least a decade. The location of the Ogidigben complex will allow for easy access to waterborne trade routes.
Kuwaiti Cabinet Approves CSCEC to Operate Mubarak al-Kabeer Port
On 21 January, the Kuwaiti cabinet approved a contract for China State Construction Engineering (CSCEC) to develop and operate the Mubarak al-Kabeer Port, located on Bubiyan Island off the coast of Kuwait. China’s Ministry of Transportation submitted the proposal after the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the project. The new agreement allows CSCEC to manage and operate the port through the remaining phases of construction and project implementation.
ELIZABETH ECONOMY, Co-Director of the US, China, and the World Project and Hargrove Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and MELANIE HART, Senior Director for the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub
On how global economic overreliance on China enabled it to gain industrial and technological advantages that will provide for China’s future economic security.
“Beijing’s lopsided advantage reflects the global economy’s continued overreliance—both real and perceived—on China. For decades, China’s massive size and growth created a sort of gravitational pull. Countries and companies raced to take advantage of the opportunities China offered. Beijing used industrial policy, low-cost labor, intellectual property theft, and trade and investment barriers to shape those interactions and push Chinese firms to the center of global value chains. As a result, Chinese companies are now at the forefront of investing in and deploying the industries and technologies—such as mining, clean energy, and information and communications technology—that will drive economic growth and ensure economic security for the rest of the century.”
