When in June a Kenyan court blocked construction of the country’s first coal-fired power station, it was not only a blow for the project’s Chinese backers, say lawyers, it was also a sign that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) might benefit from better dispute resolution.

Local judges blocked the plant’s construction on environmental grounds and finding that the project owner had failed to consult local communities. Through mediation, the Chinese investors and Kenyan government might have been able to come up with a mutually beneficial arrangement, experts contend.

The scope of the BRI, a $1tn infrastructural programme, extends from the southern Pacific to Europe, Africa and Latin America. Through it, China aims to finance roads, ports and other infrastructure such as power stations in some of the world’s poorest areas.