Aligning the BRI and SDG: Tangible strengths and opportunities

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was implemented 10 years ago and it has significantly improved the economic status of different countries worldwide as it facilitated new investments, linked infrastructural networks and improved international trade. Along with this growth, China has also developed an environmental management framework for controlling outbound investments and finance.

In the past few years, China has taken a vital step forward in environmental management after announcing the inter-ministerial "Green Development Guidelines for Overseas Investment and Cooperation." These were regarded as the highest level of guidelines, where the investors and lenders were specifically asked to trust the international environmental standards if the norms implemented by the host country were less stringent than the domestic regulations imposed by China. This step highlights the improved environmental governance of the overseas activities conducted by China, which is a step beyond the general statement and guidelines issued earlier.

Rather than regarding BRI as a geopolitical framework, it must be considered to be commercial as it relies primarily on the private sector and reflects the comparative benefits that can be derived by companies under international laws and market rules. However, its success is dependent on the capability of the undertaken projects to initiate sustainable and favourable improvements in the social, environmental and economic aspects of human development. Thus, the BRI can serve as the primary platform for better regional coordination and cooperation, sustainable economic growth, and can act as an accelerator for fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It offers better opportunities for generating development dividends that are related to economic gains and market-based investments, while also promoting cooperation and inclusivity.

If the BRI is aligned with the 2030 Agenda-SDGs, it can generate numerous opportunities and strengths, especially in the below-mentioned areas.

China as a dependable player in improving global development

In the past few years, China has emerged as a global superpower, which is highlighted by its increasing global engagement in different sectors. Owing to its widespread bilateral and multilateral activities, China aims to strategically fill all the existing gaps in the intergovernmental structures and different policies, which has further shifted the international developmental design towards determining long-lasting solutions.

However, the country's increasing proactive international involvement has also prompted many criticisms and led to tensions with other countries. Furthermore, BRI, which is an important Chinese scheme, has led to enthusiasm and a few concerns amongst the international community. Aligning the 2030 agenda with BRI can help improve China's image as a responsible and important player that leads global development and cooperation, by partnering with the United Nations. This could further help in strengthening internal cooperation and reducing geopolitical tensions.

An improved ability of BRI to tackle social and environmental risks

Social and environmental risks can develop even at a community level, wherein individuals or different social groups feel vulnerable, especially at the regional, national or global level, where many cases that are related to climate change and other global or trans-national issues (such as violent extremism) can arise. Numerous BRI infrastructural projects have to be implemented with the help of a risk-informed decision-making process for controlling the social and environmental risks that could affect vulnerable or disadvantaged groups. The SDGs act as a framework for orienting and assessing the BRI-associated decision-making process at different levels, as they tailor the principles based on monitoring, planning, implementation and accountability.

Combining policies for implementing the BRI with better institutions and governance

The BRI was developed to grant benefits to all the parties involved, i.e., wherein all stakeholders at the local, bilateral and multilateral levels can interact. Strong institutions and better mechanisms in the BRI countries must be combined to make sound and effective political decisions, as this leads to a mutually beneficial result. If the BRI and the SDGs are aligned, it will ensure a cross-regional coherence of various BRI activities and SDG policies. This can improve the institutional ability to maximise the effect of BRI's sustainable development.

Effective dialogue amongst stakeholders improves communication

It has been noted that a formal or an informal meeting that enables dialogues between private, public or government officials (either representing the local or the national bodies) is necessary for engaging the various stakeholders. SDG is a global and multilaterally-adopted policy, that allows effective dialogue and communication related to BRI, which can help in aligning the various national developmental strategies with the regional and global development goals. Furthermore, the development of strong ties amongst the BRI countries helps them commit to the common SDGs.

Developing social cohesion: Focusing on the risk of migration flow and demographic changes

Social cohesion is based on the degree and nature of the economic and social differences in society at the macro and micro levels. It is a primary factor that highlights social integration on a regional or national scale. The BRI implementation in different countries could impact their social structures. It was noted that the SDGs offer a framework that helps in shaping interventions to improve the BRI-based benefits that can lead to sustainable developments in the social and economic scenarios.

Monitoring and assessment

Monitoring and assessment can present feedback regarding the results, progress and lessons that can be learnt. BRI is regarded as a novel and ambitious regional development policy, as it offers multiple development opportunities. However, the policy-makers and general public need to determine the extent and cost at which the BRI fulfills its objectives. At this stage, the appropriate SDG indicators play a vital role. These indicators were developed so that they could cover all the major aspects related to sustainable human development, and they help in monitoring, assessing and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of BRI policies for human development. These indicators also offer a platform for making additional improvements in the BRI policies or implementation modalities, in addition to informing the people about the BRI's progress in an effective manner.

Dr Lin Woon Leong is a Senior Lecturer at Taylor's University, Malaysia.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and the Centre of Business and Policy Research, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), and co-organised by the Association of Belt and Road Malaysia