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Guided map tour · Economy & Resources
Xi'an was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road 2,000 years ago. In 2013, President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) here —…
Open this tour on the live map →Xi'an was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road 2,000 years ago. In 2013, President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) here — the largest infrastructure project in human history. Over $1 trillion invested across 150+ countries. The "Belt" is land routes, the "Road" is maritime.
The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is BRI's flagship: a $62 billion network of roads, railways, and pipelines connecting Kashgar in western China to Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. It gives China direct access to the Indian Ocean, bypassing the Strait of Malacca. Pakistan receives infrastructure but faces debt concerns exceeding…
In 2016, Chinese state shipping giant COSCO acquired 67% of Piraeus port in Greece for €1.5 billion. Container throughput has grown 700% since. Piraeus is now China's entry point into the European market, connecting via rail to Budapest, Belgrade, and Central Europe. The EU has since tightened foreign investment screening.
This tiny East African nation hosts China's first overseas military base (opened 2017), located just 10km from the US base Camp Lemonnier. China also built Djibouti's $3.5 billion railway to Addis Ababa, its largest port, and its water pipeline. Djibouti's debt to China exceeds 70% of GDP — a textbook case in the "debt-trap diplomacy"…
Kenya's $3.6 billion Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway was built by China Road and Bridge Corporation. It cut travel time from 12 hours to 4.5. But Kenya had to use Mombasa port as collateral for the loan, sparking sovereignty concerns across Africa. China is now the continent's largest bilateral lender, with $170+ billion in loans…
The BRI now spans 150+ countries and $1 trillion in investments: ports in Sri Lanka, railways in Laos, bridges in Bangladesh, power plants in Indonesia. Critics call it debt-trap diplomacy — Sri Lanka handed over Hambantota port for 99 years after defaulting. Supporters say it fills a $40 trillion global infrastructure gap. Either way,…
Write down two facts you learned about this place.
Why does this place matter? Explain in one or two sentences.
Find this place on a blank map: which country and continent is it in?
Write down two facts you learned about this place.
Why does this place matter? Explain in one or two sentences.
Find this place on a blank map: which country and continent is it in?