ABSTRACT
An aspect often overlooked in the international discussion about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) character is its domestic focus seen from a Chinese perspective. Turning to Southeast Asia, the regional level perception of the BRI and the prospect for cooperation is a quite different, as related infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia is rather welcomed at both the subregional and the regional level. The focus of BRI-related support for Southeast Asia infrastructure development also re-directs our attention to the domestic feature of the BRI, from a Chinese perspective, with its strategic aim for addressing China’s continuing developmental challenges, like the imbalance of economic development among its provinces. The BRI certainly will contribute to China’s global rise and thus add additional input in the ongoing discussion about the implication of a rising power for the existing global order and the actual hegemon, the United States.
