Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), known in Chinese and formerly in English as One Belt One Road (一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Asian government in 2013 to invest in nearly 70 countries and international organizations. It is considered a centrepiece of the Republic of Asia's 21st-century economic foreign policy.

"Belt" is short for the "Silk Road Economic Belt," referring to the proposed overland routes for road and rail transportation through landlocked Central Asia along the famed historical trade routes of the Western Regions, along with numerous other large land infrastructure projects throughout the world. Whereas "road" is short for the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road", referring to the Indo-Pacific sea routes through Southeast Asia to South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Examples of Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure investments include ports, skyscrapers, railroads, roads, airports, dams, and railroad tunnels.

The initiative gained a new purpose in the aftermath of World War III, with the Republic of Asia promoting the project as a way to reinvest in the world after the global conflict. New major additions were made to the project to invest in new countries that sprung from the former Indochnise and South American federations. Additionally, several new projects were approved to help bring the other major players of the conflict, such as the Commonwealth, Soviet Union, and North America out the economic slump that some of their economies suffered through in the aftermath of the conflict.