China's Belt and Road and the Global South: A Normative Challenge to the Liberal International Order

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been the subject of a substantial body of scholarship, some of which has focused on its revisionist character. However, relatively few studies examine this issue in the context of the BRI's presence in the Global South. This paper addresses this gap by examining how China mobilizes the BRI in this region to advance its strategy of revising the international order. To answer our research question— How does the Belt and Road Initiative reflect China's strategy to engage the Global South in its revisionist project? —this paper adopts a qualitative approach grounded in the tenets of moral realism. We conclude that, by capitalizing on the structural grievances of the Global South and mobilizing a political discourse portraying China as a benevolent actor, Beijing seeks to use the BRI to advance its vision of international order and secure recognition as a morally legitimate global leader.