The infrastructure project to connect the world through land and sea, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, was launched 10 years ago, in 2013.

Today, about 150 countries have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements. They account for about two-thirds of the world’s population…representing a large chunk of global GDP.

The Belt and Road was front and center during the recent China Central Asia Summit, held in Xi’an. Earlier, I spoke with Sarwar Kashmeri. He is an international relations specialist and author. I started by asking the importance of that summit.

Joining the discussion:

• Hannah Ryder is the CEO of Development Reimagined and a Senior Associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• Qu Qiang is Assistant Director of International Monetary Institute.
• Jorge Heine is a former Chilean Ambassador to China and a Research Professor at Boston University.

The Belt and Road Initiative #BRI projects, including railways, bridges, and ports, have witnessed practical cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries. Check out the video to find out how the projects benefit local people and strengthen exchanges. pic.twitter.com/KIwt7aHRch

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 17, 2023

China's Belt and Road Initiative is bringing more electricity to Angola. pic.twitter.com/frzMtK0INU

— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) May 22, 2023

Debugging and testing began on Monday on the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, a flagship project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. It’s an important milestone before the full launch of the project.https://t.co/0vx5MEx9i2

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 22, 2023