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Twelve years ago, in October 2013, to be precise, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China unveiled one of the Chinese government’s most ambitious, people-oriented and largest infrastructure development initiatives in history during his state visit to some Asian countries.

President Xi announced the creation of an initiative which, in the last 12 years, has changed the world and the lives of many global communities.

The programme, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as “New Silk Road” or “One Belt One Road”, became a platform from inception that was targeted at building a new Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in partnership with related sovereign nations from all corners of the world.

The main focus and core targets of BRI are anchored on promoting policy cooperation, connectivity, infrastructure development, provision of facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration and closer people-to-people ties via consultative processes and joint efforts, with the overall goal of building a vibrant community with a shared future for mankind.

Twelve years on, BRI and its core concepts have been incorporated into the schemes of other development platforms such as Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, G20 and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEE).

BRI has also become a significant platform for achieving the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. So far, more than 150 countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific are either signatories to BRI or cooperation partners in the initiative in the past 12 years.

In Africa, for instance, not less than 50, out of the 54 countries, are signatories and standard members of the initiative. It is heartwarming to note that over $1 trillion had been invested since 2013 under the BRI in infrastructure projects across Africa, South East Asia, Central Asia and Eastern part of Europe through the support of Chinese financial institutions, leveraging on facilities from the Silk Road Fund, New Development Bank, Asia Infrastructure Bank and other BRI financial mechanisms.

According to a recent World Bank report, BRI had significantly increased trade participation among member countries by more than 4.1 per cent, attracting 5 per cent more foreign investment, levelling up the GDP of low-income countries by more than 3.3 per cent.

As at 2024, BRI participating countries accounted for nearly 75 per cent of world’s population, while contributing over half of the global GDP. It is also been projected that more than 40 million people would be lifted out of poverty in BRI member-countries by 2030 as a result of its numerous flagship projects around the world.

What’s more, hundreds of contracts and cooperation agreements were signed with the more than 150 member countries and 30 cooperation partners under the BRI platform, executing several flagship projects in different member countries and partners. The mechanism has been able to support member countries to establish designed projects, particularly connectivity projects in the railways, highways and sea ports sub-sectors of the transportation sector.

Some of the 12 BRI flagship connectivity projects include:

(i) China-Laos Railway:

Inaugurated in December 2021, this landmark project has become a game-changer for landlocked Laos ever since its inauguration, significantly enhancing the country’s connectivity and facilitating the movement of goods and passengers within Laos and beyond.

Also, the $6-billion Belt and Road Initiative connectivity project has, in the last three years, transported more than 60 million passengers, handled the haulage of over 10 million tons of goods, while reducing transportation costs and facilitating the access of local businesses to markets efficiently.

The railway project is a fundamental component of China’s vision for a pan-Asian railway network that connects countries across South and South Eastern Asia.

(ii) Addis-Ababa-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway:

The original goal of this rail line was to connect the landlocked Ethiopia to the port of Djibouti for easy movement of people and goods along that corridor. The AAD line, as the project is popularly called, is the first modern cross-border electrified standard gauge rail line in Africa. It was officially launched in January 2018, marking the onset of new transportation era in East Africa.

As one of the Belt and Road Initiative flagship connectivity projects in Africa, the $4-billion railway serves as the main transport corridor which handles over 90 percent of Ethiopia’s import and export trade. Compared to road transportation, the railway has shortened travel time from 7 days to 10 hours, making a significant change in the lives of the residents of that particular region.

(iii) Budapest-Belgrade Railway:

This important Belt and Road Initiative flagship connectivity project in Europe, connecting Asia, was estimated to cost about $3.8 billion, Also known as Hungary-Serbia railway, the railway was constructed with the objectives of building logistics hubs and boosting economic development of the two Eastern European countries and beyond.

The project has been described by perceptive analysts as a symbol of deep cooperation between China and European countries. It was the first railway to be built by the Chinese under the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe.

(iv)-Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway:

Popularly known as “Whoosh”, perhaps because of its speed, this Belt and Road Initiative flagship connectivity project in Indonesia was the first high-speed speed railway built by the Chinese, using Chinese railway system, technology and components outside China. Estimated to cost about $7.6 billion, its operations started in 2023, connecting two Indonesian cities with a maximum speed of 350 km/h.

The 142-kilometre-long BRI project has made transportation between Jakarta and Bandung more efficient and comfortable for the residents, while playing a pivotal role in boosting the local economy and tourism.

(v) China-Europe Freight Train:

Launched in 2013, this symbolic old Silk Road project connects major Chinese cities and European cities. It is another remarkable feat in the Belt and Road Initiative flagship connectivity project aimed at connecting countries of the two regions and developing their infrastructure for common prosperity.

The train service, since its introduction 12 years ago, has achieved a remarkable success, as recent reports indicate that it has completed more than 110,000 round trips, while transporting goods worth over $450 billion in the process.

(vi) Lekki Deep Sea Port:

Located in Nigeria’s commercial city of Lagos, Lekki Deep Sea Port is another critical Maritime Belt and Road Initiative flagship connectivity project sited in West Africa. Built by the China Harbour Engineering Company, the $1.5-billion project is one of the success stories of Nigeria’s Public Private Partnership programme.

Lekki Deep Sea Port, according to maritime experts, is the deepest port in West Africa, and it was also designed to handle large vessels from all over world.

(vii) Nairobi-Mombasa Railway:

This 480-kilometre railway line connects Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa. Built under the Belt and Road Initiative, the $3.8-billion project was the largest Kenya’s infrastructure project since the country’s independence.

The construction of the railway line lasted for about three years (2014-2017), cutting travel time, after its completion, from the previous 10 hours to four hours. Its success also rides on punctuality, safety and efficiency.

(viii) China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbek Railway:

Also known as CKU, the project is a major and significant connectivity project of the Belt and Road Initiative in the landlocked Central Asia. Agreements for the project were signed in 2024 between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbek; marking a new era in efforts to boost regional trade and economic cooperation.

Once operational, CKU is expected to shorten travel time by several days along the corridor, when compared to the time current spent in plying the extant motorway route.

(ix) Greek Preus Port:

Nicknamed “Dragon’s head on the Belt and Road”, this maritime connectivity hub is the largest port in Greece and the entire Mediterranean region. Preus Port is a major terminal for ships coming from Europe and Asia. It also connects Greece with the neighbouring islands, while providing services to cruise ships and other vessels of any size.

Until the intervention for its revival under the Belt and Road Initiative, activities at the port were at the lowest level. The once-acclaimed trade route of the Maritime and Silk Road, whose operations began about 2,000 years ago, is now being operated under franchise by China’s giant shipping company — China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO).

(x) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):

The monumental 3,000-kilometre Belt and Road connectivity project was proposed in 2015 as a bridge for the new Maritime Silk Road that is expected to link more than three billion people when it is completed.

Other aims of the project were to revive the ancient Silk Road connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, with a focus of building infrastructure as strategic framework for bilateral cooperation. Its starting point is Kashgar in southwestern Xinjiang of China, with its final destination at Gwadar Sea Port in Balochistan, Pakistan. Besides, this large scale project was aimed at improving Pakistan’s economy and connecting China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan.

(xi) Tazara Railway:

Tazara or Tanzam is an old railway linking Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with Kapiri Mposhi, a town in Zambia. It is one of the oldest railway systems in Africa and a lifeline for moving copper out of South Africa.

Tazara’s modernisation efforts began when China, Tanzania and Zambia signed a $1.4-billion contract for its upgrade to a standard gauge railway as well as the acquisition of new components for building strategic connectivity Belt between Eastern and Southern Africa.

(xii) Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port:

This Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Ramree Island, Rakhine state of Burma, began as joint venture under the Belt and Road Initiative mechanism between the Chinese and Burmese governments.

Kyauk Phyu SEZ is uniquely positioned to serve as trade corridor connecting China, India and the neighbouring southeastern Asian nations. When completed, it is expected to join the ever-expanding list of Belt and Road Initiative land, sea and air flagship connectivity projects.

Expert’s Comment:

After careful analysis of the twelve Belt and Road flagship connectivity projects in Asia, Africa and Europe, Global South experts observed that despite the turbulence and uncertainties in the global stage, BRI in the last twelve years had significantly achieved remarkable feat in advancing high-quality development, leading to modernisation of infrastructure, cooperation development and enhancing good governance with practical results for the shared future of mankind.