The Belt and Road Initiative and its competitors: a comparison between BRI and Global Gateway

Purpose The paper presents a comparison of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the EU’ Global Gateway (GG). Design/methodology/approach The paper undertakes an economic and institutional comparison of China's BRI and EU's GG to assess their differences and similarities and their effect on developing countries. Findings China's strategy was successful, but with time it met with some economic and political difficulties. So far GG was unable to really compete with BRI, although it may offer an interesting complement to developing countries and feeble chances of cooperation between the two initiatives. Originality/value The comparison between BRI and GG concentrates on facts and achievements, including the accuracy of criticism and prize for each of the two initiatives, but avoids political and partisan judgements.