China's Belt and Road Initiative turns 10: Xi announces 8 new priorities, continues push for global influence

China's Belt and Road Initiative, which now includes 44 African countries, got under way 10 years ago. The initiative is something of a trial-by-doing development policy enigma: it keeps China watchers chasing Xi's next move to help define just what it is. Most of these projects have been funded by loans from Chinese banks, including the China Export Import Bank and China Development Bank. For African signatories to make the most of what China is now offering, they need to understand the origins of the Belt and Road Initiative and also what has and has not changed since. Alongside a new emphasis on the digital economy, Xi added that China would establish pilot zones for e-commerce-based cooperation. Xi also promised that China would propose a Global Initiative for Artificial Intelligence Governance, and promote secure artificial intelligence development. Further, since the COVID pandemic, some countries that had benefited from China's new level of Belt and Road lending have run into debt problems and interest rates have risen.