1. Record-breaking BRI Investments in First Half of 2025
Chinese firms signed 176 investment and construction contracts worth USD124bn across BRI partners—surpassing the entire 2024 total. Sectors highlighted include energy (USD44 bn), mining (nearly USD25 bn), and green infrastructure (~USD10 bn). Africa led with USD39 bn, and Central Asia with USD25 bn, atop the program’s cumulative contracts totalling USD1.3 trillion.
2. Gwadar Airport Opens in Pakistan
Pakistan’s largest airport, in Baluchistan’s Gwadar, officially became operational in January. The USD230m BRI project aims to support regional trade flows, despite local opposition and earlier delays from militant attacks.
3. Kazakhstan Bolsters as BRI’s Top Recipient
In H1 2025, Kazakhstan attracted a staggering USD23 bn in BRI deals, the largest among all partner nations, reflecting China’s strategic pivot toward Central Asia amid shifting global trade dynamics.
4. Indonesia–China Dual Use Tech Agreement
A memorandum signed in May between China’s NORINCO, Sany Group, and Indonesia’s PT Pindad will deliver dual-purpose electric trucks and agricultural machinery—a convergence of military and civilian capabilities under the BRI framework.
5. Massive Lithium Investments in Nigeria
Chinese firm Canmax Technologies committed USD200m to develop lithium mines in Kebbi State, alongside another USD200m for processing capacity in Nasarawa—underlining China’s strategy to secure critical mineral supplies for green tech.
6. Railway Uptick: CKU Corridor Begins Construction
The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway officially commenced in 2025. This 523 km freight-and-passenger rail will connect Kashgar to Andijan, bypassing Russian gauge constraints, cutting transit times to Europe, and opening a strategic overland corridor.
7. Cross-border Tanzanian–Burundi SGR Railway Deal
In early 2025, Chinese firms secured the contract to build a US USD2.15 bn electrified standard-gauge railway linking Tanzania and Burundi (Uvinza–Gitega). The project spans ~367 km and includes multimodal border infrastructure.
8. Trans Caspian Rail Sea Express Expands
The China–Europe freight train network marked yet another milestone: over 100,000 runs by late 2024 and expanding to 227 cities across 25 European and 11 Asian countries. The Trans Caspian Express continues enhancing Eurasian multimodal connectivity.
9. China–Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Deepens
During a state visit in April, Xi Jinping and Azerbaijan’s president signed 20 cooperation deals via BRI, covering green energy, digital economy, IP, and customs facilitation along the Caspian corridor.
10. AIIB to Fund Gavi’s Vaccine Programme Gap
In a rare healthcare-focused BRI-related project, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank agreed in May to bridge Gavi’s USD1 bn funding gap for vaccine procurement and system strengthening, following the U.S. withdrawal.
11. Media & Power Deals in Sri Lanka and Honduras
Chinese media companies extended partnerships with Sri Lankan state broadcasters in May, while PowerChina signed a contract to build new high-voltage transmission infrastructure in Honduras—triggering scrutiny in U.S. intelligence circles.
12. Panama Exits the BRI
Under U.S. diplomatic pressure, Panama opted not to renew its BRI agreement earlier this year, signalling a broader tightening of Chinese influence in Latin America.
13. India Eyes Alternative Corridors through Kazakhstan
India is studying the Trans Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor) via Kazakhstan as a strategic alternative to Chinese-controlled BRI infrastructure, to diversify Eurasian connectivity.
Observations & Implications
- Diversification & Scale: The shift from sovereign loans to equity investments reflects financial caution and maturity in BRI financing.
- Strategic Supply Chain Pivot: Heavy investment in minerals, green energy and logistics routes shows China repositioning BRI to serve its industrial and tech ambitions.
- Regional Rebalancing: While Africa and Central Asia remain central, Latin America sees retreat (e.g. Panama), and South Asia looks for alternatives.
- Sector Expansion: Beyond traditional infrastructure, BRI now spans AI, healthcare, media, and energy transmission.
- Pushback & Counterbalances: Panama’s BRI exit, India’s corridor strategy, and Western-backed pushback illustrate the ideological and geoeconomic resistance of the West to the initiative.