China’s BRI model uses EU finance for projects like Uzbekistan’s wind farms, challenging Western narratives and procurement rules.
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Central Asia’s largest wind power project in Uzbekistan, Bash-Dzhankeldy, exemplifies a new model of international cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), involving state-owned Chinese firms, Saudi developer ACWA Power, and European debt from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This arrangement creates tension with the EU’s narrative of competing with China through initiatives like Global Gateway. While the EBRD is involved, its independent operation allows EU-funded projects to be executed by Chinese companies, highlighting limitations in Brussels’ influence. Chinese firms have increasingly secured contracts on EBRD and EIB-funded projects globally, aligning with a shift towards China co-financing with multilateral development banks. This trend is supported by China’s strategy of “third-party market cooperation.” In Uzbekistan, Gulf firms like ACWA Power dominate renewable energy projects, often utilizing Chinese contractors despite European financing. While this partnership benefits host nations and China by combining Chinese engineering with European finance, it conflicts with the EU’s messaging regarding self-sufficiency in green technologies. This complex dynamic is also emerging in Africa, as seen in an EBRD-backed wind project in Egypt featuring Chinese technology.
