Grand plan: A map illustrating China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ mega project being displayed at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. — Reuters
While the grand plan will not be easy to achieve, China has the tools it needs to make it. As long as they are used in a clean and transparent way, the republic and its neighbours will gain from it.
SINCE its introduction by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) – an ambitious plan to revitalise the ancient Silk Road overland and maritime trade routes linking East and West – has attracted considerable attention. And for good reason: The project, which involves more than 60 countries and quite a few international organisations, implies unprecedented opportunities – and challenges.
