More than infrastructure and connectivity

IN 2013, President Xi Jinping announced a very ambitious One Belt, One Road Initiative as a major international development strategy to promote cooperation and connectivity between Asian, European and African countries. This is a very ambitious initiative of unprecedented scale, the reach of which has never been seen in history.

Known now as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it consists of two complementary and concurrent plans: an overland route connecting Europe, Middle East, Central Asia to China; and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that would connect China, South East and South Asia and Africa.

BRI is a fitting legacy to the historical Silk Road that was launched by Zhang Qian who was sent by Emperor Wudi, of the Han dynasty, in 138BC to Central Asia to establish trade relationships. His historic missions enabled China to have contacts with the outposts of Hellenic civilisation established by Alexander the Great. These efforts enabled the Han dynasty to develop political and trade relationships with Central Asian countries and also contributed to bringing new ideas and other benefits such as the introduction of new plants like grapes and alfalfa and superior breeds of horses.