Dispute Settlement in the Belt and Road Initiative — Progress, Issues, and Future Research Agenda

Abstract

Policymakers in China for the BRI initially did not consider dispute settlement very seriously but they have realized in recent years that this is an issue that might have to form a critical part of BRI transactions and projects. This Introduction gives an overview of the types of disputes emerging out of the BRI deals and critically examines China’s efforts to build institutions and rules for resolving BRI disputes. In this context, it introduces the Essays and Articles contained in this special issue and presents a future research agenda for moving the study of BRI dispute settlement to the next level.