Introduction: The Belt and Road Initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals: Opportunities and Challenges

This introductory article explains the rationale behind this issue of the IDS Bulletin and identifies the key issues and research questions addressed by the contributors. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the source of significant academic and policy debate, in terms of how it is defined and how far it can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This article seeks to explore these debates in more depth, looking at the opportunities and challenges that are associated with aligning the BRI and the SDGs frameworks at local, national, and international levels to achieve sustainable development. It highlights new evidence, analyses, and insights from across a range of experts from China and BRI countries, and points both to the potential for the BRI to help achieve sustainable development outcomes and the challenges, implications, and impacts for the countries and communities involved.