ABSTRACT
With nearly 70 countries participating in the BRI, one cannot dispute its attractiveness. Certainly, the BRI offers infrastructure investments that many countries which are lacking the financial resources for investment are interested in for supporting their development. However, even when such incentives are offered, some countries are reluctant to get involved. India offers a quite interesting example in this respect. Not only does India have its own regional and global ambitions but also its relations with China are not free of frictions, as border demarcation issues exist continuously. Yet, we can identify other cases where BRI investments are increasingly scrutinised on financial and economic grounds. This involves instances where investment agreements have already been reached and project implementation has begun. An interesting and related aspect is that such scrutinising has occurred in the context of governmental change in the involved countries, a fact pointing to the political risks associated with BRI projects as seen from a Chinese point of view.
