China signs new deals worth $213 billion under the Belt and Road Initiative in 2025

In the chaos, China continues on.

China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) just shattered records, signing $213.5 billion in new deals for 2025, a stunning 75% surge. The total now exceeds $1.4 trillion across 150 nations. But the real story is the strategic pivot.

The focus has sharply turned to Africa and Central Asia, with a dual energy strategy creating a stark paradox. 2025 was simultaneously the initiative’s “greenest and dirtiest” year. While clean energy investments hit new peaks, fossil fuel deals tripled to $71.5 billion, representing over 74% of all energy engagement, the highest reliance since 2014.

Concurrently, China executed a massive minerals grab. Metals and mining investments reached a record $32.6 billion, with roughly 60% concentrated in Kazakhstan alone, a nation sitting on reserves of 15 critical rare earth elements.