HONG KONG — In Thailand, a theater rigged with hydraulic seats will give moviegoers the sensation of flight. In Australia, an indoor ski slope is going up near the beaches of the Gold Coast. In the Czech Republic, a spa with Chinese medicine is under construction in the southern wine country.

All three projects fall under Beijing’s ambitious effort to build geopolitical and economic ties around the world — and all three stray from its original mission.

Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has pledged trillions of dollars toward the construction of roads, power plants and ports in Asia, Africa and Europe through its Belt and Road initiative. The program envisions big, critical infrastructure projects, backed and blessed by the Chinese government, as the path to winning friends and spreading influence.

But five years in, smaller, less impactful projects are finding cover under the umbrella of Belt and Road, using the program to slip past restrictions on foreign investment. Beijing has discouraged, and in some cases blocked, deals in the real estate and entertainment industries, part of a broader crackdown on profligate spending by Chinese companies overseas.