Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s Green Investments in African Countries

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been growing its economic impact on all over the world since the declaration of Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. This initiative had been considered as a highly ambitious global initiative aimed at stimulating economic growth across Europe, Asia, and Africa. As of February 2025, there are 152 countries involved in the BRI initiative and a considerable number of African countries also take part in this initiative to be able to foster their economic condition along with this giant economic movement. To investigate the effects of China's BRI investments in African countries with an environmental approach, this study examines China’s green investments in African countries between 2013 and 2023, by using data from the China Global Investment Tracker, and employing descriptive statistical analysis. Focusing on 21 African BRI countries, green BRI investments from aspects of yearly trend, country distribution and sector allocation are analyzed. In the process of separating BRI investment records into green and non-green categories, it is found that green investments have grown rapidly around world over the decade, compared to non-green ones. The findings also indicate the recent years have witnessed an annual stabilization of 30% green investment. These green investments demonstrate a strategic emphasis on “resource acquisition and infrastructure building” with investments concentrated in resource-rich countries to secure essential minerals such as lithium and uranium, while simultaneously developing clean energy projects and infrastructure. Therefore, while these investments can foster sustainable development in African countries, they also pose environmental risks through mining investments, which require robust environmental assessments and governance to avoid Pollution Heaven problems.