The Digital Belt and Road program in support of regional sustainability
Open accessAbstract
The Belt and Road initiative has a significant focus on infrastructure, trade, and economic development across a vast region, and it also provides significant opportunities for sustainable development. The combined pressure of climate variability, intensified use of resources, and the fragility of ecosystems make it very challenging, however, to achieve future sustainability. To develop the path in a sustainable way, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of these issues across nations and evaluate them in a scientific and well-informed approach. In this context, the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) program was initiated as an international venture to share expertise, knowledge, technologies, and data to demonstrate the role of Earth observation science and technology and big Earth data applications to support large-scale development. In this paper, we identify pressing challenges, present the research priorities and foci of the DBAR program, and propose solutions where big Earth data can make significant contributions. This paper calls for further joint actions and collaboration to build a digital silk road in support of sustainable development at national, regional and global levels.
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Chinese companies created mobile payment platforms serving tens of millions of Africans.
“Между тем китайские компании также создали мобильные платежные платформы, обслуживающие десятки миллионов африканцев, говорится в Белой книге «Китай и Африка в новую эпоху: партнерство равных»30.”
From China’s Digital Silk Road initiative: directions and prospects of development, advantages and risks for Russia (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
The Background and section 2 discuss Earth-observation data and the Digital Belt and Road program, not mobile payments. Searches for Chinese companies, African users, and mobile payment platforms found no passage in our copy addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.75)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThanks to cooperation with Chinese enterprises, Gabon became the first country in Central Africa where 5G technology was tested.
“Кроме того, благодаря сотрудничеству с китайскими предприятиями Габон стал первой страной в Центральной Африке, где была протестирована технология *5G*.”
From China’s Digital Silk Road initiative: directions and prospects of development, advantages and risks for Russia (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
The Background and section 5.3.4 discuss Chinese-led cooperation on Earth-observation data and sustainable development, not telecommunications trials. Searches for Gabon, 5G, Central Africa, and Chinese enterprises found no passage addressing the claimed test. (LLM, conf=0.74)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredHuawei owns more than 110 thousand patents, which in 2019-2021 allowed it to receive 3 billion dollars only from license fees.
“Например, китайская компания *Huawei* владеет более 110 тыс. патентов, что в период с 2019 по 2021 г. позволило получить доход в размере 3 млрд долл. только от лицензионных отчислений15.”
From China’s Digital Silk Road initiative: directions and prospects of development, advantages and risks for Russia (2025) · cites this paper as [15]
The Background and Big Earth data solutions sections discuss the Digital Belt and Road program and Earth data, not Huawei’s patents or licensing income. Searches for Huawei, patents, licensing fees, and the claimed figures found no passage addressing the claim in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredChinese companies helped African countries build and modernize a 150,000 km backbone communication network, which helps provide Internet access to almost 700 million users.
“Китайские компании оказали помощь африканским странам в строительстве и модернизации магистральной сети связи протяженностью 150 000 км, которая помогает обеспечить доступ в Интернет почти 700 млн пользователей.”
From China’s Digital Silk Road initiative: directions and prospects of development, advantages and risks for Russia (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
The Background and §3.1 (Digital divide; page numbers unavailable) discuss Earth-observation infrastructure and access to scientific data, not an African telecommunications backbone. Searches for a 150,000 km network, Chinese companies’ construction or modernization work, and nearly 700 million Internet users found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Menenti, M., and L. Jia. 2016. "Driving Mechanisms of Land Use and Cover Change in the Sahel: Impacts and Responses (DIMECLUS)." The 11th International Conference of the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment, Kampala, Uganda.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sidorenko, E. L. (2025) · Russian Journal of Economics and Law · doi:10.21202/2782-2923.2025.1.57-79 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Guo, H., Liu, J., Qiu, Y., Menenti, M., Chen, F., Uhlir, P. F., Zhang, L., van Genderen, J., Liang, D., Natarajan, I., Zhu, L., & Liu, J.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Information Policy and Management, Callicoon, NY, USA
- Department of Earth Observation Science, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
- Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Corresponding author
- Guo, Huadong
- Liu, Jie
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Digital Earth
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-05-10
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 657-669
- ISSN
- 1753-8947 (ISSN-L)
- 1753-8955
- OpenAlex
- W2802154775
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7
- FWCI
- 8.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- International Journal of Digital Earth (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Belt and Road Initiative
- Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Geographic Information Systems Studies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space exploration and regulation
- Keywords
- Belt and Road Initiative, sustainable development, big Earth data, Earth observation, Digital Silk Road, regional sustainability, international cooperation, research priorities, climate variability, ecological fragility
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