Connectivity Initiatives Around the World
Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced by President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (China) in 2013. Countries along the Belt and Road would be able to improve the connectivity of their infrastructure construction plans and form an infrastructure network, bringing together all sub-regions in Asia, Europe and Africa. Key transportation passageways will be improved upon, in order to realize international transport facilitation for the different countries through the following areas: railways and highways, sea-ports, aviation, energy-oil and gas pipelines, power supply and communications-optical networks.
The BRI comprises the following 6 economic corridors:
1. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): http://cpec.gov.pk/
2. China, Mongolia, Russia Economic Corridor: https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/
3. New Eurasia Land Bridge Economic Corridor (NELB): The New Eurasia Land Bridge (NELB), also known as the Second Eurasia Land Bridge https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/
4. China-Central and West Asia Economic Corridor (CCWAEC) https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/
5. China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (CICPEC), https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/
6. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor: https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/
Image Credit: Mercator Institute for China Studies, 2017. Available from: https://www.merics.org/en/china-mapping/silk-road-initiative
