The Silk Road goes north: Russia’s role within China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Russia, the world’s largest country, forms a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Underfunded infrastructure and vast energy resources into which Western investment is now largely prohibited by US and European Union sanctions also make Russia a logical site for BRI projects. Two are currently under way: the Moscow–Kazan high-speed railway and the Yamal liquefied natural gas plant. These BRI endeavours build on recent Sino-Russia energy cooperation and a longer history of transportation infrastructure partnership in which China is now the investor. However, longstanding mutual suspicions that peaked during the Cold War may challenge implementation.