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Belt and Road Initiative facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a big plan by the government of China. It's also called the New Silk Road. The idea is to build new ways for countries to connect, like roads, railways, and sea routes. This project helps China link up with many countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It was first announced in 2013.

The "Belt" part of the name means the land routes, like new roads and railway tracks. The "Road" part refers to the sea routes that ships use to travel between countries. At first, this project was known as "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR). For example, a high-speed railway in Thailand is part of this big plan.

Countries Joining the BRI

Belt and Road Initiative participant map
Countries that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative

Countries join the Belt and Road Initiative by signing a special agreement with China. This agreement shows they want to be part of the project. China keeps a list of all the countries involved. When a new country joins, China's news agency, Xinhua, shares the news.

As of 2023, more than 150 countries have officially joined the Belt and Road Initiative. This includes countries from all over the world. Some examples of countries that have joined are:

A few countries have also left the initiative, such as Estonia, Italy, and the Philippines.

How the BRI is Paid For

China started investing in the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. The amount of money China put into the project grew a lot in 2014 and 2015. The highest amount of investment happened in 2016 and 2017.

After that, the investments slowly decreased. They dropped even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lowest amount of money invested was in 2023.

Money put into the sea routes part of the BRI has grown steadily. By 2023, these sea route investments made up 60% of the total money spent on the project.

Images for kids

  • Port of Shanghai, Yangshan Deep-water Harbour Zone, 02

    Yangshan Port of Shanghai, China

  • Kwai Tsing Container Terminals

    Container terminals in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong

  • Wspólne oświadczenie w sprawie ustanowienia wszechstronnego strategicznego partnerstwa

    Polish President Andrzej Duda and Chinese leader Xi Jinping signed a declaration on strategic partnership in June 2016

  • SuezCanal4 byDanielCsorfoly

    Container ship transiting the Suez Canal

  • A general view of Mombasa Port on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast

    Mombasa Port on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Iniciativa de la Franja y la Ruta para niños

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