Belt and Road Funding Falls Short as Instability and Unsustainability Take Toll

• China faces a $50 billion infrastructure funding gap in Southeast Asia as Belt and Road funds miss targets • Political instability, poor local engagement, and declining fossil fuel projects contributed to shortfall • Of 34 major infrastructure projects, China committed to 24 worth $77B but has only delivered 33% on average • 5 projects worth $21B were cancelled and 3 worth $5B unlikely to proceed • Despite challenges, Belt and Road Initiative will continue evolving into a more sustainable source of regional infrastructure financing