2025/03/24 by Prapimphan Chiengkul · 1 voice
Energy · Social Sciences · #Global Energy Security and Policy #International Relations and Foreign Policy #International Development and Aid
paper · doi:10.1080/10357718.2025.2482719
openalex publication_date 2025/03/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
From a critical International Political Economy (IPE) perspective, this article analyses the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the prospect that it can be used to help advance renewable energy transitions. The article argues that the BRI is an evolving project shaped by sub-state actors and political contestations, both in China and in host countries, and that the BRI has, to varying degrees, increased the bargaining power and development opportunities of many countries in the Global South. Although China has attempted to green the BRI in recent years, its potential to help advance energy transitions in host countries has not yet been realised as BRI projects have predominantly promoted fossil fuels. This points to the importance of strengthening transnationally-connected progressive civil societies, in developed and developing countries, that will pressure state elites to support a greener BRI and renewable energy transition. Various strategies should be employed to suit unique socio-political contexts in each country. However, common strategies for progressive civil societies should include challenging the core concerns of states regarding national security and economic growth in ways that help to advance more rapid energy transitions, and supporting foreign policies that prioritise climate cooperations and the de-escalation of geopolitical tension.