With a road and rail network (in parts) connecting 65 countries (at last count) including China-across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa-the Belt and Road Initiative, when completed, would connect 63 percent of the world's population. President Xi envisions the new project to be the modern equivalent of the ancient Silk Road-the land and ocean routes for silk trade-in a bid to lo
Image by Shamil Zhumatov/ Reuters
2/22
With the project estimated to be a $5-trillion investment, the Belt and Silk Road could be deemed as the most ambitious infrastructural development plan in history. The Chinese recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road cooperation with a slew of participating governments. However, so far, it hasn&rsquot put out a comprehensive list of all BRI-related projec
Image by Lintao Zhang/ Pool / Reuters
3/22
Across the continental landmass, from Russian Siberia to India and from Mongolia to Mesopotamia and the Balkans, the term &ldquoSilk Road&rdquo evokes dreamy visions of mythical lands and bygone traditions. According to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, "The official information currently available, mostly provided by China&rsquos state news agency &lsquoXinhua&rsquo, suggests th
Image by Vladimir Pirogov/ Reuters
4/22
China is under pressure to transform from low-end to high-end commodity, capital and technology exports an answer to deal with the problem of massive overcapacity in its industries. In 2015, China accounted for over 50% of global overcapacity in steel. The end of the infrastructure boom within the country has led to an idle labour force specialised in the building and completion of of lar
Image by Pichi Chuang/ Reuters
5/22
As the growth in China slows to a two-decade low, infrastructure development providers like cement and steel companies find the need to look beyond the borders of the country to Central Asia, Africa, and Russia. According to an article titled-'Russia and China in the age of grand Eurasian projects'-published on the Cambridge Journal of Eurasian Studies, 'The Belt and Road initiative makes
Image by Per-Anders Pettersson/ Getty Images
6/22
China&rsquos most prolific research areas are engineering followed by materials science and medicine. With a multi-discipline approach that includes engineering, design, and applied sciences, higher education in China has been voted as one of the best among the Asian countries. China has over 150 public and private-owned universities distributed over most of its provinces.
Image by Aly Song/ Reuters
7/22
Another important motivation behind the Belt and Road Initiative is to encourage economic development in China&rsquos Xinjiang autonomous region, thus tackling the major problems of its Western provinces, including separatism, radical Islamism and terrorism, ethnic conflict, and underdevelopment. The government mapped its plans in 2015, aiming to make good use of Xinjiang&rsquos geographi
Image by Thomas Peter/ Reuters
8/22
But President Xi&rsquos vision isn't only about putting a physical infrastructure in place. Beneath the blueprint to create a contiguous land and maritime zone is China&rsquos response to the more exclusive mega-economic blocks such as the ones led by US, in the current climate of protectionist backlash. It is a long-term project to secure China&rsquos geo-strategic realm with obvious pol
Image by WU HONG/ Reuters
9/22
It will be an economic game-changer for Bangladesh when completed. China Railway Construction Corporation is building a 215 km Padma rail link project from Dhaka to Jessore, including the 6.5 km Padma multipurpose road-rail bridge at a cost of $3.15 billion. Mainly funded by a soft loan from China, the project includes the construction of 66 major bridges, 224 minor bridges, 14 new statio
Image by Padma Road Rail Bridge
10/22
For many Kenyans seen at this newly-constructed Nairobi terminal, it is a historic moment. The just-inaugurated Standard Gauge Railway from the port city of Mombasa to capital Nairobi is its biggest infrastructure project since Kenya&rsquos independence. Built by China at a cost of $3.2 billion in two and half years, it was mostly funded by China&rsquos Exim Bank. The railway is a part of
