New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West

by David E. Sanger

Subtler efforts were aimed well beyond China’s shores—most notably, the 2013 announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative: a state-subsidized effort to bring countries from Africa to the Pacific Islands into China’s orbit by building their ports, hospitals, schools, and stadiums. It was often a package deal, one that threw in 5G networks built by Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers, giving Beijing control over a nation’s communications. At first the Obama administration dismissed Belt and Road as “a silly combination of existing programs, nothing more,” Barshefsky recalled. Then, realizing it was part of a larger plan, the United States belatedly raced to catch up. But the American plans came with human rights requirements and demands for financial transparency. Autocrats were happy to stick with China’s aid program.