Management and Sustainability in the Belt and Road

China’s Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) is an ambitious infrastructure project conceived in 2013 by President Xi Jinping with development and investment initiatives stretching from Asia and Europe that reflect the original Silk Road with business networks through countries such as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as India and Pakistan, spanning a route of more than 4,000 miles and history that can be dated back more than 2,200 years.

Given the background of China’s unique approach in fighting COVID-19, and against the backdrop of sluggish economic growth, innovation, and management, sustainable development of BRI will be the key and the driving force for the post-pandemic economic recovery of many countries, especially as BRI countries now account for nearly 30% of China’s foreign trade and 15% of outward direct investment.

The vision to create a vast network of railways, energy pipelines, highways, and streamlined border crossings to expand the international use of Chinese currency and improve connectivity to China is good foresight and proved fortuitous when the COVID-19 pandemic came to plague the world, and amid the conflicts between the United States and China as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Since the inception of BRI, many books have been written to cover topics ranging from globalization to detailing how China’s business and politics are a major motivation for China’s overseas economic activities with case studies and practices, yet few of these books provide a structured approach to the sustainable management of BRI projects. This book is about how to manage the innovation, sustainability, and business necessary to make BRI work and how to handle the issues, problems, and crises that may arise in the process. Participants of BRI projects can take on many different roles, but ultimately, it is team effort and leadership that creates successful projects. Here, readers will find guidelines and insights to survive and prosper in a myriad of BRI opportunities and risks. Most important of all, this book provides a glimpse of different approaches for success in BRI projects, including sustainability, environmental issues, social and political aspects, technology, choice of industry, project management, education and training, governance, and many more.

Andrew W.H. Ip received his PhD from Loughborough University (U.K.), MBA from Brunel University (U.K.), MSc in Industrial Engineering from Cranfield University (U.K.), and LLB (Hons) from the University of Wolverhampton (U.K.). He is now Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering of University of Saskatchewan, and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also Honorary Industrial Fellow of the University of Warwick, Warwick Manufacturing Group. Prof. Ip and his research team was awarded "Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury" and "Thailand Award for Best International Invention from The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)" in the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. And in 2013, he obtained Natural Science Award - Second Class, presented by the Ministry of Education of Mainland China. Prof. Ip has published over 300 papers with over 150 papers in SCI indexed journals, and has written various books and invited book chapters. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Enterprise Information Systems, Taylor and Francis publishing, and the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of International Journal of Engineering Business Management, SAGE publication and editorial member of various international journals. He is a Distinguished professor and visiting professors of various university in mainland china. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE).

Lianne K. W. Lam is currently appointed as Professor of Practice at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Visiting Professor at Hunan University of Finance and Economics and Hunan International Economics University in Hunan, China. Prof. Lam began her career in Hong Kong with marketing and public relations roles from the Far East Group of Companies and the Palm Island Resort (China) before setting up her own public relations firm handling integrated marketing for clients. In 2003, she was approached by the Cogitoimage Group to become a partner, managing the firm’s Hong Kong and China "Space Branding" business. After graduated from her doctoral degree in 2013, she had put her research into practice and set up Hong Kong Sustainable Society - a non-profit organization dedicated to engage positive thinking to promote sustainable development in Hong Kong.

Prof. Lam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science at the University of Toronto; Bachelor of Law degree from the Peking University, MBA degree from the Peking University, and DBA degree from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Prof. Lam is married with 2 children and enjoys sailing, skiing and music. The family has invested and obtained license to operate an International primary school, a local primary school and a kindergarten in China.