The Belt and Road Initiative: Geopolitical Expansion and Institutional Instability in the DRC and Sri Lanka

<p>This study examines how large‑scale Chinese investment in resource‑rich and strategically located states, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sri Lanka, generates domestic and geopolitical instability. Despite their distinct regional and historical contexts, both countries exhibit structural vulnerabilities that allow external actors to reshape their political and economic trajectories. In the DRC, Chinese initiatives leverage abundant mineral resources and a highly centralized executive structure, reinforcing weak institutional oversight. In Sri Lanka, financial fragility and geopolitical ambition enabled China to acquire strategic territorial influence, illustrating how external financing can erode strategic autonomy and intensify great‑power competition. These dynamics reflect a broader shift in the future of International Political Economy, where a more Beijing‑centric distribution of power and deeper polarization of the international system are likely to intensify. As realist dynamics expand globally, states face increasing pressure from hard‑power competition, reshaping the constraints and possibilities of global governance.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

International Relations

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Tanjo, Saki

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mario Baez
• Jean Krasno

• China
• BRI
• Geopolitical influence
• International Political Economic
• Strategic Autonomy
• Exploitation
• Business and Corporate Communications
• Corporate Finance
• Finance and Financial Management

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1316

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-2431