The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is supporting the construction of colossal infrastructural projects that enhance global connectivity. The new projects create new development opportunities for the investment recipient countries. Sometimes the new projects excessively rely on Chinese financing and Chinese companies for their implementation increasing risks for both investors and host countries, and requiring new regulatory responses. The BRI is part of a more comprehensive strategic play for a new and enhanced role for China in global economic governance. The paper initially provides an overview of the regulations that shape the BRI investments’ environment and explains their significance for Chinese investors, demonstrating regulatory gaps and risks. In the second part, the paper examines the new multi-level regulatory solutions that China and BRI countries are implementing in order to deal with the complexities of the BRI investments. By doing so, the paper demonstrates that the BRI has triggered a regulatory transformation that places China at the centre. On the one hand, the new regulations support Chinese investors and mitigate the risks that they face. On the other hand, however, the new domestic and international regulations, aim at taming the Chinese economic model, and antagonise the greater presence of Chinese investors.
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Dini Sejko is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Emerging Market Studies, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a research affiliate at The Fletcher Network for Sovereign Wealth and Global Capital, Tufts University. Dr Sejko is conducting research on the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Southeast Asian countries and sustainable development. His research interests include the governance of state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), and the implications of state capitalism on international economic law.
Dr Sejko has obtained a Combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Law from Bocconi University and a Master of Laws in International Economic Law from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
More information about the speaker can be found on the event webpage.