Charting Progress in China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A Conversation with Jonathan Hillman

This episode explores current developments in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the lead-up to the second Belt and Road Forum. Our guest, Mr. Jonathan Hillman, discusses the BRI’s current projects and financing, including recent backlash and scrutiny from partner countries. Mr. Hillman also details the approach the U.S. is taking toward the initiative in the face of recent agreements on the BRI between other democratic nations and China. Jonathan Hillman is a senior fellow with the Simon Chair in Political Economy and director of the Reconnecting Asia Project at CSIS. His research focuses on the intersection of economics and foreign policy, including trade, globalization, economic statecraft, and China’s BRI. Prior to joining CSIS, he served as a policy adviser at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.