3. China’s Belt and Road Strategic Narratives up to the Second Belt and Road Forum

This chapter outlines China’s BRI strategic narratives up to the Second Belt and Road Forum. It first documents the introduction of the BRI, contextualises the Belt and Road Forums and provides a broad overview of the main BRI strategic narratives and counter-narratives. Highlighting the narrative components of plot, actor and setting, it then shows how in 2019 China sought to tell an updated story about the benefits of the BRI in response to emergent criticism that the project is more exploitative than benevolent. China sought to portray itself to international audiences as a trustworthy and reliable partner, interested above all else in multilateralism, trade and connectivity. It continued to draw on the mythology of the Silk Road to frame the BRI as a benevolent, enriching project to all BRI affiliates. To address criticisms of the BRI, China updated its strategic narrative to focus more on ‘open, green and clean’ cooperation. In addition, China used its BRI strategic narratives to boost its ontological security as a good partner, and as an emerging ‘normative power’ with sufficient influence to shape the norms and standards adopted by the international community.