Knowledge Production for the BRI: Beyond Commissions and Think Tanks: (China and BRI Roundtable)

The BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) has moved from a PRC leadership initiative to a more widely based national project supported by government ministries, commissions, universities and diverse think tanks. However, the wider knowledge needed for a successful human, environmental and developmental face for BRI is only now being developed. Cooperation is emerging through the Universities Alliance of the New Silk Road (including 60 universities from 22 countries), as well as through the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Collaborative Innovation Centre of Silk Road Economic Belt Research (engaging in cooperation with other institutions from China, Russia, Central Asia, East Asia, several European states and Australia). Likewise, the Silk Road Think Tank Network (SiLKS), launched by the Development Research Center of the State Council of China, has 54 partners across the world. Information on ecologies, environmental frameworks, marine and land use are being collated by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, using data from the National Remote Sensing Centre, with support from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, its Centre for Regional Security Studies, and the Institute of World Economics and Politics. This is being further developed through the emerging BRI Space Information Corridor to aid environmental, communication and security needs. How this knowledge is shared among BRI’s diverse partners is a crucial component in the management of this megaproject, and is crucial if a fair and effective form of governance is to emerge.