Overview
Launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) envisaged a massive infrastructure build-out that would trace the “silk roads” that once traversed Eurasia and the seas connecting China to Africa.
The vision is to create and improve the physical (infrastructure), financial (lending, capital-raising) and policy (e.g. customs, trade alliances) conditions that will facilitate greater trade and investment.
After the infrastructure development phase, the Belt and Road Initiative has evolved into a more open, inclusive and sustainable initiative: BRI 2.0
