From a stalled Indonesian rail project to an insurgency-threatened economic corridor in Pakistan, China’s push to revive Silk Road trade routes is running into problems that risk tarnishing the economic crown jewel of Xi Jinping’s presidency. Xi’s so-called Belt and Road strategy signals a global infrastructure spending spree worth an estimated $1 trillion but it ignores a crucial factor: namely, that China has a patchy record of delivering efficient projects both at home and abroad. China’s outreach seems to have no geographic limits, with New Zealand and South Africa among those to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China to jump on the “Belt and Road” bandwagon.