By Bo Zhou (January 3, 2018, 2:24 PM EST) -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was formally announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visits to Central and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013, is China's proposal to build a Silk Road economic belt and a 21st century maritime Silk Road in cooperation with related countries. The belt refers to the land route starting in western China that crosses through Central Asia to the Middle East, while the road refers to the maritime route around Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa. The BRI is an immensely ambitious campaign, which aims to unlock massive trade potential and bolster economic development across Asia and beyond, especially China's neighboring countries....