Institute of Development Studies
Bio
Author Biography
Jing Gu is Director of the Centre for Rising Powers and Global Development and a Senior Research Fellow at IDS. She has extensive experience in research and advisory work of governance, rule of law, business, inclusive growth, and sustainable development. Jing leads the BRI and Sustainable Development Goals project at IDS.
Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD)
Bio
Author Biography
Shen Qiu serves as the interim head of the Division of Consulting Services, Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD). He has worked as a coordinator or a researcher for several of CIKD’s projects, including ‘China’s Policy Process of Poverty Alleviation Policies’, ‘China’s Development Zones’ Experience and its Implications to Other Developing Countries’, ‘China’s Path to Poverty Reduction’, and the BRI Case Studies series (in particular on Chinese Overseas Cooperation Zones). He has also been in charge of conducting CIKD’s Demand Survey on China’s development experience
Volume 50
Number 4
Published: December 19, 2019
There is extensive international debate over the contribution of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The potential for the BRI to make a substantial contribution to realising the SDGs has been acknowledged by leading global, regional, and national representatives. The BRI as a developmental project with global reach is heavily backed financially by China, and reflects the need for stronger instruments to implement and deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. Yet, there are practical challenges in the BRI–SDG relationship set against an international debate centred on concerns, criticisms, and ‘pushback’. This article assesses this relationship and provides a comprehensive examination of China–Kenya cooperation under the BRI and its implications for Kenyan implementation of the SDGs. Its arguments are based on both official documents and data, and primary research. Its findings contribute to the discussion on the potential of the BRI for Africa’s sustainable development.
