The Role of the Belt and Road Initiative in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka
Abstract
The Belt and Road Initiative is a global strategy announced by Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2013 with potential to promote the sustainable goals presented through the agenda for 2030 by the United Nations in 2016. Most significantly, Sri Lanka was among the other 21 countries which embraced the implementation of belt and road initiative, and as of today, links between belt and road initiative and sustainable development goals have become an ongoing discourse in the international system. In the Sri Lankan context, numerous projects have been launched under the belt and road initiative and consequently, some contradictory ideologies related to this backdrop have appeared in the Sri Lankan scholarly context. This paper aims to examine the impact of the belt and road Initiative on the sustainable development goals in Sri Lanka. The study employs both primary and secondary data collection methods, including observations and case studies for qualitative analysis. Primary data was gathered through direct observations, while secondary data was sourced from books, journals, and online articles. Key findings indicate a positive linkage between the belt and road initiative of China and sustainable development goals in Sri Lanka referring to economic, social and environmental sustainability. Moreover, multifaceted impact of belt and road initiative towards the sustainable development goals were identified significantly under the social, economic and environmental dynamics using the sustainable development theory. While the belt and road initiative has positively influenced the sustainable development goals in Sri Lanka to some extent, there remains a need for better project management policies to ensure sustainable development outcomes.
