Who should you believe about BRI?

Four trillion dollars of planned investments in 65 countries representing 70 percent of the world's population, 55 percent of its GDP, and 75 percent of its energy reserves: China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is by far the largest scale global development project in the many thousands of years of human history.

Spanning the entire Eurasian landmass from Eastern China to Western Europe, covering the continent of Africa and the countries of East and Southeast Asia, the BRI has a growing global influence as more and more countries sign up.

However, some have tried to foment opposition to the BRI by claiming it involves under-the-table dealings and lacks transparency. This is kind of ridiculous. The accusatory voices are loud, but none are backed up with evidence.

Rather than arguing against the accusations, it is better to analyze the reasons behind them. What are the motives of the critics?

For many American policymakers, the United States can only feel safe if it maintains its global dominance. Also, many in the US are deeply wedded to the notion that American-style values and governance are not only the best for the US, but must also be foisted by persuasion or force on the rest of the world.

The BRI offers countries around the world an alternative development path to the American-led system.

The initiative is creating a vast integrated market centered on the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa that will be many times larger and, in not too distant future, more advanced than that of the US These BRI countries can chart their own course without interference from outside countries.