The Role of Investors in Promoting Sustainable Infrastructure Under the Belt and Road Initiative / Alison Hoare , Lan Hong and Jens Hein

There is a massive need for infrastructure globally. the environmental and social impacts stemming from large-scale infrastructure projects present risks, not just to the environment and affected communities, but also to the economic viability of investments and to international relations. Addressing these will be essential for the success of the BRI. This will also be necessary if the Chinese government is to achieve its aim that the initiative helps to realize sustainable development in partner countries. The paper examines how the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the European bilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) encourage the use of sustainable procurement by their borrowers, and how China’s policy banks approach this issue. On this basis, it makes recommendations for how these different actors could ensure that infrastructure projects being developed under the BRI are sustainable. Furthermore, recommendations are made for the governments of China and those of other countries engaged in the initiative.