EU ASEAN Centre director MN Firzli was one of the first experts to look at the geoeconomic impact of chairman Xi’s “Belt & Road Initiative” (BRI) when it was established a decade ago. Fast forward today, the BRI’s Gargantuan infrastructure investment ambitions are partially but not totally “mugged by the reality” of 1) China’s sluggish GDP growth and 2) emerging markets’ over-indebtedness, which China’s rivals describe as a deliberate “debt trap” shackling nations such as Sri Lanka, Kenya, Serbia … etc. … But, at any rate, regardless of such considerations, China’s New Silk Road has already transformed the world economy beyond recognition (“law of unintended consequences”) by convincing senior US policy makers in the Biden White House to 1) fast-track America’s “Pivot to Asia”, abandoning, as it were, Europe and the Middle East to their own destiny, and 2) renounce free-market neoliberalism (1980 – 2022) in favor of industrial planning and tech nationalism (US Neo-Colbertism). To “fight China”, America has had to dispense with laissez-faire and free trade…

🎥 🎞️ interview on Asharq Business with Bloomberg