How BRI is powering a new era of global mobility

As we welcome the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Fire Horse offers a fitting moment to examine how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is reshaping global transport. Often associated with connectivity projects such as roads, railways and ports, the BRI is undergoing a profound transition: from heavy infrastructure to high-tech, low‑carbon mobility ecosystems.

“If you want to get rich, build roads,” goes a well‑known Chinese saying rooted in the country’s own development story. Yet transport-related BRI engagement has steadily declined in recent years, reaching just US$13.3 billion in 2025, even as total engagement hit a record US$213.5 billion. Road transport engagement fell to its lowest level in BRI history—only US$1.7 billion.

This shift reflects a strategic pivot. The focus on “small and beautiful” (“小而美”) projects signals a decisive pivot away from asphalt and petroleum toward lithium, electrons, and digital mobility. The BRI’s transport story is being rewritten around electrification, modal shift, and smart systems.

1. EV ecosystems: from “exporting cars” to “exporting supply chains”

2026 started with a symbolic milestone: BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles (EVs). China is the world’s largest EV market, with 12.9 million units of domestic sales in 2025. 54% of new cars sold in China were battery-powered or plug-in hybrids.

Across emerging BRI economies, EV adoption is also accelerating. ASEAN markets, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, have reached 20–40% EV sales penetration, surpassing the US and parts of Europe. While overall vehicle ownership may remain lower than in the West, new ownership in emerging markets is increasingly electric by default.

China currently commands 70% of the global EV and battery supply chain. But the story is no longer just about China exporting cars. Chinese companies are increasingly exploring opportunities in overseas supply chains. A 2025 example is the US$2.1 billion investment in a lithium battery factory in Portugal by China Aviation Lithium Battery (CALB).

2. High-speed rail: the low-carbon connectivity standard

China’s first major low‑carbon transport “miracle” was not EV but rail. Since 2007, China has built the world’s most extensive high-speed railway (HSR) network covering 50,400km in less than 20 years, accounting for over 70% of the world’s total. China is also testing 400 km/h next-generation train sets CR450, which will further optimize its national transit.

Despite the significant drop in transport-related BRI engagements, rail remains the largest sub-sector, attracting US$9.8 billion in 2025. Key projects include the expansion of the Standard Gauge Railway expansion in Tanzania with involvement from China Railway Group Limited (CREC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), and the supply of electric units for light rail in Mexico City by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

No doubt that rail will continue to anchor the BRI’s low‑carbon connectivity strategy, offering a scalable alternative to aviation for emerging economies.

3. Green shipping corridors and port electrification

Maritime transport, long considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, is undergoing rapid modernization through the rise of “Green Shipping Corridors”. Domestically, major ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo–Zhoushan have achieved 100% shore‑power capability, allowing ships to plug into the grid rather than burn bunker fuel. China also leads globally in building methanol‑ and ammonia‑ready container vessels.

In October 2025, China’s Ministry of Transport launched the Initiative for International Cooperation on Green Shipping Corridors. The new initiative covers seven measures, including expanding green shipping corridors, accelerating the development of green and low-carbon vessels, developing (near) zero-carbon ports, enhancing green fuel supply capacity, leveraging government-market collaboration, sharing best practices, and supporting innovation.

Five green corridors were also announced:

• the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port – HAROPA Port Alliance Green Shipping Corridor

• the Qingdao Port – Port of Hamburg Green Shipping Corridor

• the Qingdao Port – Wilhelmshaven Green Shipping Corridor

• the Shanghai Port – Port of Barcelona Digital Green Ro-Ro Shipping Corridor

• the Shanghai Port – Port of Antwerp-Bruges Green Ro-Ro Shipping Corridor

These corridors could position the BRI as a platform for global maritime decarbonization, not just port construction.

4. Decoupling transport growth from carbon

Transport accounts for roughly 20% of global CO₂ emissions, with road transport responsible for three-quarters of that. The shift towards more green and low-carbon transport options is already shaping the energy mix of mobility.

According to IEA’s Stated Policies Scenario (based on current policies, announced, and intended targets), total road activity (in terms of vehicle kilometres travelled) is projected to increase by almost 20% from 2024 to 2030, yet energy demand for road transport is only expected to rise by only 5% over the same period, thanks to the greater energy efficiency of EVs. Under this scenario, EVs are estimated to displace over 5 million barrels per day of diesel and gasoline, half of which will be by China’s EVs.

If this trend plays out and continues, transport energy demand and associated carbon emissions is likely to “decouple” to growth in transport activities.

5. Renewables and the Digital Silk Road accelerating the mobility revolution

BRI engagement is becoming increasingly diverse, with a clear pivot toward sustainability, local value creation, and high‑tech adoption. The rapid expansion of renewable energy, coupled with the progress of the “Digital Silk Road”, will further accelerate the transformation of mobility systems across emerging economies.

The integration of clean power with digital technologies such as smart grids, intelligent transport systems, and real‑time mobility management will fundamentally reshape how people move and how transport infrastructure is planned and operated. These shifts will also redefine the resources required to support mobility, moving from fossil‑fuel‑intensive systems to data‑driven, electricity‑based networks.

For the Global South, this shift toward an inclusive, low‑carbon, tech‑enabled mobility ecosystem provides clear environmental and social benefits. Hopefully, it also offers a blueprint for leapfrogging carbon‑intensive development toward a model that supports economic growth without compromising environmental integrity.