in 138 bc, chinese explorer zhang qian was dispatched abroad as an envoy. no one suspected that during this trip he would pioneer one of the greatest trading routes in human history, now known as the silk road.
thousands of years later, in 2013, the ancient silk road began to brim with renewed vigor and vitality as china launched the belt and road initiative (bri), designed to offer long-term benefits and win-win outcomes for participating countries.
over the past eight years, 140 countries and 32 international organizations have signed 206 cooperation agreements with china under the bri.
