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• We analyse the relationship between trade patterns and the allocation of investment projects carried out under the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). • Investments tend to concentrate in countries located in central nodes of the international production networks as well as towards suppliers of intermediate goods whose revealed comparative advantage overlaps with China. • High income countries closer to destination markets tend to attract fewer but larger investments. • The BRI represents an opportunity for China to upgrade its exports and for the countries receiving investments to enhance their participation in Global Value Chains with possible positive impacts on development. We analyze the relationship between trade patterns and the allocation of investment projects carried out under the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Rooted on a novel database, we construct the intermediate trade network and assess its role in the allocation of the projects. Investments tend to concentrate in countries located in central nodes of the international production networks as well as towards suppliers of intermediate goods whose revealed comparative advantage overlaps with China. High income countries closer to destination markets tend to attract fewer but larger investments. Controlling for gravity variables as well as for political proximity to China adds explanatory power without affecting the results on the importance of trade. The BRI represents an opportunity for China to upgrade its exports and for the countries receiving investments to enhance their participation in Global Value Chains (GVC) with possible positive impacts on development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]