Navigating the Currents of Belt and Road Initiative: Perspectives on Least Developed Countries

This article aims to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from the lenses of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and bring attention to some of the issues which may require profound thought. Most developing countries around the globe, especially the least developed ones, today face significant development funding gaps and a pressing need for infrastructure development. The BRI has given rise to new global geopolitical and geostrategic dynamics and fuelled intense debates around China's increasing assertiveness in the conduct of its international relations. As far as countries with financing needs are concerned, while adjusting sails according to the changing geopolitical winds to propel growth momentum might seem like a lucrative position to exploit, it is often far from easy to maintain such a delicate balance, as we will see, analysing Nepal as an example in this article.