Some often say "Trust, but verify." However, I'd recently been in contact with some insights regarding economic intelligence that challenges that assumption. I think a better quote would be "Never trust, always verify." This book is a tour-de-force of that argument, and not for the good reasons that I'd hoped.
This book is most definitely a state-funded propaganda piece for advancing the belt-and-road project. This should be the very first read that somebody who's unaware of the BRI should read, to merely understand the basics. The book doesn not go into the concrete infrastructure nor trade projects that BRI/OBOR will undertake, but rather explain the economics and philosophy behind it.
The first chapter goes into Chinese history, and as the book progresses, the subjects get more concrete, but never reaching the level of grounded intelligence that I'd expected. I can only recommend the book as a basic invitation into the subject of BRI/OBOR. A funny thing about the book is that it constantly repeats the words "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" which I distinctly recall hearing in a state-funded hip-hop advertisement for BRI/OBOR.
5/10