China proceeds with Belt and Road push, but does it more quietly

The Belt and Road discussion was moderated by Tian Wei making the absence of Chinese government officials, who typically shun panels with foreign moderators known to have criticized China, somewhat surprising.

Construction workers at the site of the East Coat Rail Link project in Bentong, Malaysia, Nov. 17, 2018. Ever since Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a plan to link Asia, Europe and Africa with building projects, Beijing has hailed it as central to its foreign policy. The promotion has gotten more low-key. (Lauren DeCicca/The New York Times)

Written by Keith Bradsher

Ever since President Xi Jinping of China unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to link the economies of Asia, Europe and Africa with highways, rail lines and power plants, Beijing has promoted the program as a centerpiece of its foreign policy.

But China has turned down the volume on its plan, even though it still appears to be moving forward.

Various senior Chinese government officials are at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, including Vice President Wang Qishan, who is to speak on Wednesday. None of them, though, participated in a panel during one of the forum’s most prominent time slots Tuesday that was focused on the Belt and Road Initiative and billed as a review of “China’s trillion-dollar vision.”

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Instead, the vice chairman of a government-linked trade association and the chairman of a state-owned business spoke cautiously about the initiative.

Except for a long-scheduled meeting with African leaders in Beijing in September, top Chinese officials have said fairly little about the Belt and Road program since last summer. The initiative has been plagued by allegations of corruption, overspending on vanity projects, excessive debt and other problems in countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Uganda.