Has China’s Belt and Road Initiative Acquired the Features of an Economic Corridor?

The evolution of the concept of «transport corridors» and the types of economic effects they generate for the region are considered, the main issues related to the development of the most important transport corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are studied, the problems and obstacles that stand in the way of the successful implementation of China’s infrastructure and economic projects in the areas associated with the BRI are highlighted. It is shown that the term «economic belt» refers to a system of economic corridors located in one megaregion and aimed at developing economic ties between countries of different economies. It is concluded that the Belt and Road Initiative has gone from formation to development and has the necessary features of an economic corridor (there is a geographical interconnection of transport networks; vertical network integration is developed; export financing and financial market opportunities are available; conditions have been created for the prospect of trade diversification). However, the further development of the BRI, as the formation of an economic belt, is complicated by a number of negative problems: territorial disputes of the participating states, concentration in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative on taking into account the interests of the government level to the detriment of the interests of citizens, difficulties in financing, and the strong creditworthiness of the participating countries