Belt and Road Monitor, Edition 20, 2026

This edition of the Belt and Road Monitor covers developments from 1 to 31 August 2026. The Monitor draws from transactional data collected daily by our proprietary tool, Janes Geoeconomic Threat Intelligence (formerly Janes IntelTrak), as well as research compiled by our team of analysts. If you enjoy our Belt and Road coverage, consider checking out our proprietary database, a visual analytics tool that tracks and maps the global activities of Chinese and Russian companies in real time and includes expanded analysis of projects highlighted in "Top Developments."

Belt & Road at a glance

Chinese BRI Transactions in USD Billions

Graph notes: These transactions include Chinese loans and grants but also contracts and subcontracts. Not all transactions will come to fruition, and this graphic does not account for cancellations, disruptions, failure to disburse funds, etc. This depicts the announced values of transactions with involving Chinese entities operating overseas, which could include Chinese funded projects but also foreign funded projects involving Chinese contractors, across multiple BRI-linked sectors.

Belt and Road Initiative top developments

China’s Zhejiang Xiehai Group Forms JV to Establish Sierra Leone’s National Shipping Carrier
On 4 August 2026, Sierra Leone’s parliament ratified a joint venture agreement between Zhejiang Xiehai Group and Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency to establish Sierra Leone Ocean Shipping Company. The project seeks to restore the country’s national shipping capacity, expand trade opportunities, improve maritime operations, attract investments, and enhance Sierra Leone’s competitiveness in regional and international maritime transport.

China Eyes Cape Verde’s Northern Islands as Potential Economic Corridor and Atlantic Logistics Hub
On 11 August 2026, Cape Verde’s government and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering energy, water, agriculture, transport and the integrated development of São Vicente and the northern islands. The MoU also provides opportunities for newer drivers of China’s economy: electric mobility, energy storage, and bolstering the power grid.

Huawei, iFlytek, Brazil Partner to Advance Supercomputing Infrastructure
On 20 August 2026, Huawei Technologies and iFlytek announced a partnership with the Rio de Janeiro government for a supercomputing infrastructure project. Under the partnership, the companies will develop the infrastructure through a USD252 million investment by the government. This is part of a wider USD444.2 million supercomputing project, with the remaining USD194.6 million to be allocated through a tender for the supercomputer itself. The government said the supercomputer is expected to begin operations by the end of 2027 and the co-operation agreement with the Chinese companies is scheduled to start in July 2027.

Uzbekistan’s Maidanak Observatory Extends China’s Space-observation Reach
On 21 August 2026, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences commissioned a multi-lens telescope at the Maidanak Astronomical Observatory in Uzbekistan in co-operation with the Mirzo Ulugbek Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. The partnership expands scientific and technical co-operation between China and Uzbekistan and gives Chinese researchers access to additional observations from a western Eurasian location. These data could support more accurate satellite-orbit calculations and improve China’s ability to monitor orbital activity.

China-supported Disaster Monitoring Centre Raises Surveillance and Infrastructure Visibility Risks in Nicaragua
On 22 August 2026, Nicaragua's National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Attention (SINAPRED) inaugurated the China Communications Services International (CCSI), China CAMC Engineering, and Beijing Percent Technology Group Co. Ltd-supported Momotombo Centre of Monitoring, Alert, and Response. The USD42 million investment is equipped with Chinese surveillance, early warning, and rapid-response technologies encompassing satellite communications, drones, and a nationwide network of more than 420 monitoring, surveillance, and emergency transmission stations.

New Project Locations by Value

What They're Saying

RILEY DUKE, ROLAND RAJAH, JACK XU at the Lowy Institute

On China's pivot from large-scale lending to smaller aid grants.

China’s Pacific aid spending remains below its 2010s peak but has stabilised around a high-visibility grant model tied to diplomatic objectives. Loans from its mid-2010s lending boom are now entering acute repayment phases, leaving Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu with substantial debt obligations to Beijing.

By the Numbers