<p>Different from the traditional bilateral analysis framework of international trade, this study adopts a multilateral analysis perspective of the international trade network (ITN). Based on the panel data of 142 countries from 2005 to 2023, it explores the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on the economic growth of BRI countries and its mechanism. The results indicate that: (1) the BRI promotes the economic growth of BRI countries; (2) the BRI expands the breadth and intensity of trade links among BRI countries and between BRI countries and other countries around the world, and improves the ITN status of BRI countries; (3) mechanism analysis provides supportive evidence for the ITN status enhancement channel, with the unweighted ITN status having a greater promoting effect than the weighted ITN status; (4) the BRI generates trade creation effects for BRI countries. The conclusions of this paper offer valuable policy implications for exploring the new path of the BRI to promote the economic growth of the BRI countries from the perspective of ITN.</p>