China’s Belt And Road Initiative: All Participating Countries By Income Group

Op/Ed by Chris Devonshire-Ellis 

China’s Belt & Road Initiative has evolved from being purely about infrastructure build projects to about supply chain development. Many of the 2,500 projects that China has assisted with either financing, or building, or both are now coming to fruition. As I explained in the example of Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port City the completed infrastructure asset is now giving rise to new opportunities for global investors. These range from the appreciation of property builds, to new facilities for numerous service industries. In the Colombo Port City example, these range from the daily requirements of office workers and commuters, to businesses themselves – Colombo is highly likely to develop as a lower cost back-office centre to compete with nearby Singapore as an example.

Assessing where appropriate opportunities lie and the relevant domestic consumer strength in each market requires an understanding of the local dynamics. In the chart below we list all countries (as at October 2020) that have signed MoU with China concerning the Belt & Road Initiative. We explained what these MoU typically contain in the article Understanding China’s Belt & Road MoU referencing an example. More recently, data released by China’s State Information Centre shows that China now imports more goods from countries that have signed up to the Belt & Road Initiative than it exports.

Investors looking at supplying China from BRI countries, and investing in them directly may use the following data to assess the regional income levels of each. These have been taken from the World Bank rankings in terms of categorization of each countries field income group, and are globally spread as follows:

• 34 countries are in Europe & Central Asia (including 18 countries of the European Union)
  See also: European Union Businesses And The Belt And Road Initiative – A Guide To Changing The Modus Operandi And Getting Involved and The Belt & Road Initiative In Central Asia
• 6 countries are in South East Asia
  See also: Investing In Emerging Belt & Road Initiative Stock Markets: South-East Asia
• 25 countries are in East Asia & The Pacific
  See also: China’s Belt & Road Initiative In The Pacific Islands
• 38 countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa
  See also: Africa Needs China’s Belt & Road Initiative To Assist With Growth & Trade Potential
• 17 countries are in the Middle East & North Africa
  See also: Belt & Road Financing & Investment To Expand In Key Middle East Logistics Hubs
• 18 countries are in Latin America & Caribbean
  See also: China’s Belt & Road Initiative And South America

The dynamics of the countries listed should be of relevance to investors looking to capitalize on the infrastructure China has provided in each. For matching these up with details of specific projects and analyzing where the opportunities are, please contact our firm.

Related Reading

• • Africa Needs China’s Belt & Road Initiative To Assist With Growth & Trade Potential
  • Caspian Developing As Maritime, Haulage & Rail Hub Between Europe & Asia
  • India Becomes Transportation Hub Of China’s Belt & Road Initiative As Co-Investments Increase