In this episode, Dan speaks with his colleague and director of the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project, Jonathan E. Hillman, who is the author of a new book on the Belt and Road Initiative, The Emperor’s New Road: China and the Project of the Century. This conversation comes at an interesting time as the United States is mapping out its own infrastructure investment needs. Jon and Dan have worked closely on the issue of increasing influence of the People’s Republic of China in global infrastructure development and have produced dozens of analysis for U.S. officials and lawmakers on the geopolitical stakes of China’s multi trillion dollar global infrastructure development project that spans across the world. In this podcast, Jon chronicles some of his key takeaways from writing this book and discuss among other things the true cost of BRI investments for the developing countries, the U.S. role in enabling an alternative globally, and even the best travel destinations in Central Asia.

Podcast originally published on csis.org on May 19, 2021.