Shaky start: But now Russian president Vladimir Putin is more involved with Chinese president Xi Jinping’s BRI plans
Russia is lower in the rankings than other oil producers Bahrain, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, but its improvement is significant as it seeks a greater role in the China-led project after initially showing reticence to tag along.
In February, Russia confirmed its role building a section of the Meridian Highway, a toll road stretching through Russia from the Sagarchin crossing point with Kazakhstan to Belarus.
Now the question is how far Russian authorities are prepared to engage, and on what terms – although the potential is clear.
Responding to an improving index score, Russia is the only one of 69 countries moving up a category in the Euromoney Belt and Road Index (EBRI) this quarter, from tier five to tier four, narrowing the gap to Ukraine one place higher.
Investor climates are graded in the EBRI rankings across five categories.
Tier-one countries – Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Laos – have all shown the largest improvement in their growth rates and/or politico-economic and structural risk situation since China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – or One Belt, One Road – was inaugurated in 2013.