One Belt, One Road 一带一路

One Belt, One Road 一带一路

“One belt, one road” is a development strategy started by the Chinese government in 2013. It refers to the New Silk Road Economic Belt, which will link China with Europe through Central and Western Asia, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which will connect China with Southeast Asian countries, Africa and Europe. Neither the belt nor the road follows any clear line geographically speaking; they serve more as a roadmap for how China wants to further integrate itself into the world economy and strengthen its influence in these regions. Many of the countries mentioned have traditionally had close trade and investment relations with China, which says they should deepen cooperation, especially in terms of building infrastructure and other development projects. The strategy underlines the government’s push to have a bigger say in global economic and political affairs, and to export China’s technologies and production capacity in oversupplied areas such as steel manufacturing.