Explained: What to expect from the second Belt and Road Forum

The second Belt and Road Forum is under way in Beijing. What has changed in this massive Chinese initiative since the first forum two years ago? How does Beijing see the BRI today — and how does the world see it?

The second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) that began Thursday in Beijing will serve as a stocktaking exercise for China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, which has come to dominate the country’s foreign policy over the last five years. This “21st Century Silk Road”, which is often referred to as China’s Marshall Plan, has managed to get more countries to sign up since the first forum was held in May 2017.