Volume 31: Clean Energy Technologies towards Carbon Neutrality

Belt and Road gas cooperation evaluation – An empirical study on economic profits, environmental impact, and social values Ding Li, Xue Lan, Anna Sun, Wang Yuanyuan, Liu Huilin

Abstract

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provided itself with a stable foundation to deepen the gas cooperation with signatories in the global de-carbon trend. This paper explores the net policy effects of BRI in the aspects of environment, economy, politics, and culture, together with other impacts from the national traits, the governance mode, and the resource types. Results show there’s a significant BRI effect on signatories’ GHG emission deduction, GDP per capita and Projects’ net cash flow increment. But no significance in reducing the political & cultural distance between the host county and China. Gas, as vital low-carbon fossil energy, has its unique preference in the host country’s traits and governance mode. Meanwhile, gas does have brought changes quite differently from the traditional oil business. What’s more, value divergence exists between the official government & the masses even in the same country. Finally, Chinese oil & gas investment prefer “high risk, high return” and a host social hierarchy similar to its own.

Keywords Gas, BRI, Economic Profits, Environmental Impact, Governance Mode, Cultural Values