China’s Religious Diplomacy for its Belt and Road Initiative: A Review and Assessment

Abstract

This article analyzes China’s religious diplomacy surrounding its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an interagency effort that serves multiple goals ranging from image cultivation to diplomatic engagement. The author reviews diplomatic engagement with Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and Taoists before and after 2015. The brief concludes by assessing the factors that impact the effectiveness of China’s religious diplomacy. Factors such as competition with the United States, the sustainability of the BRI, and China’s doctrine of religious Sinicization, as well as its emphasis on “ideological national security” and its internet regulation, among others, will influence the effectiveness of China’s religious diplomacy.