Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the One Belt, One Road initiative is a project announced in 2013 by the Chinese government to connect the Silk Road Economic Belt to the proposed Maritime Silk Road Initiative. China hopes this plan will touch 138 countries and connect China to each of them. It would strengthen hard infrastructure, including ports, pipelines, and railways, and soft infrastructure, including potential trade agreements, within this potentially heavily trafficked route. Understandably, this initiative comes with some potential conflicts. The Belt and Road Initiative has been criticized for damaging local environments. If the Maritime Silk Road Initiative is created, it will have serious impacts on the ocean with the increased traffic. The High Seas are an important part of the belt and road initiative and high seas scientists must start examining potential remedies to upcoming problems.