IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called for greater balance in the next phase of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. She borrowed from a Chinese proverb “It is easy to start a venture — the more difficult challenge is what comes next.”
Lagarde warned that “history has taught us that, if not managed carefully, infrastructure investments can lead to a problematic increase in debt”. And, “to be fully successful, the Belt and Road should only go where it is needed. I would add today that it should only go where it is sustainable, in all aspects.”
Also she emphasized, BRI 2.0 can also benefit from “increased transparency, open procurement with competitive bidding, and better risk assessment in project selection.”
