By HU BILIANG

RECENTLY, media commentary emerging from European countries suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sharp reduction in Chinese investment in economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Some people continue to express concern over a perceived debt issue, while others have sought to highlight that coal-fired power plants are being built under the BRI framework. To be sure, there are others who have taken cognizance of the new economic development opportunities that the BRI would present, now as well as in the future, once the dust of the pandemic settles. A dispassionate overview of the topic, therefore, would be necessary to gain a proper perspective.