Written by Ryan McGuine // On an official visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative. In doing so, he touted the BRI as a “new Silk Road,” recalling the historic trade routes between Europe and Asia. Initially meant to link China with western Europe through physical infrastructure, the Belt and Road Initiative has grown in scope to encompass a vast network of railways, energy pipelines, and highways across countries spanning Oceania, Africa, and Latin America. Continue reading