Recent years have witnessed dramatic investment in a variety of Chinesebacked infrastructure projects as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This programme seeks to secure access to trade routes and increase political influence. The BRI is having huge ramifications on local, regional and international geographies, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. This article will be of interest to those studying trade, development and conflict.
While its surrounding physical geography provides excellent protection for China, it inhibits mass trade in a globalised world to the detriment of its development as a global power. The Himalayas and Karakoram mountains lie to the southwest, the Yan and Tahang Mountains to the north, the west is barred by the Tibetan Plateau and the Taklamakan Desert, while the eastern seaboard only accesses shipping routes through small international lanes and the territorial waters of other nations.
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