Recent Trends on the «New Silk Road»: An Analysis of «Digital» and «Green» Investments and Trade

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is widely recognized as one of the most important long term industrial and foreign policies of the Chinese leadership. It pursues multiple economic and political objectives through the development and consolidation of trade, infrastructure, and cultural networks connecting China to the rest of the world. In recent years, due to uncertainties caused by major shock, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade war between China and the United States, and the war in Ukraine, the initiative has been undergoing a transformation. The aim of this work is to examine the extent to which the BRI is changing, through a systematic review of the Chinese academic debate and a descriptive data analysis. The former highlights a shift in focus from infrastructure development to «green» and «digital» projects. This is complemented by an in-depth study of investment dynamics, focusing on the evolution of sectoral investments and project sizes. Additionally, China’s trade flows are examined, with attention to the sectors highlighted in the Chinese academic literature. This analysis reveals a gradual reorientation of China’s international exposure toward the countries participating in the initiative, observable in both investment and trade flows.