21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the context of "Trieste"

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), also known as the One Belt One Road (Chinese: 一带一路; pinyin: Yīdài Yīlù) and sometimes called the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure and economic development strategy of the government of the People's Republic of China.

The initiative was launched by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping in 2013 while visiting Kazakhstan. It aims to invest in over 150 countries and international organizations through six overland economic corridors and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The BRI is central to Chinese foreign policy, promoting trade connectivity and China's leadership role in global affairs. As of 2024, participating countries account for nearly 75% of the world's population and over half of global GDP. Supporters highlight its potential to boost global trade and growth, particularly in developing countries, while critics raise concerns over environmental impact, human rights, and debt-related dependence.

The Gwadar Port (Urdu: گوادر بندرگاہ [ˈɡwaːdəɾ ˈbəndəɾɡaː]) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Company. The port features prominently in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and is considered to be a link between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Maritime Silk Road projects. It is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Turbat, and 170 kilometres (110 mi) to the east of Chabahar Port (Sistan and Balochistan Province in Iran).

The potential of Gwadar to serve as a deep-water port was first identified in 1954, when the city was still under Omani rule. Plans for construction of the port were not realised until 2007, when the port was inaugurated by Pervez Musharraf after four years of construction, at a cost of $248 million.

The Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM) was a proposed road, rail, water and air link connecting India and China through Myanmar and Bangladesh as a corridor.

In 2015, China proposed including the corridor as part of its vision for the Belt and Road Initiative, China's signature global connectivity initiative. The BRI was boycotted by India from the start. In May 2019, the BCIM was not mentioned in a list of 35 corridors and projects in a joint communique issued by state leaders attending the 2nd Belt and Road Forum, indicating the BCIM had been dropped from the BRI. In the same year India has sought to keep the BCIM intact by sending a delegation to the 13th BCIM Forum in Yuxi, noting however the corridor predates the BRI. Ultimately, the corridor was abandoned due to BCIM's ties to the Belt and Road and the sharp deterioration in Sino-Indian relations.