One Belt, One Road

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, also known as The Belt and Road (abbreviated B&R), One Belt, One Road (abbreviated OBOR) or the Belt and Road Initiative is a development strategy and framework, proposed by People's Republic of China that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia, which consists of two main components, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR). The strategy underlines China's push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need to export China's production capacity in areas of overproduction such as steel manufacturing.

It was unveiled by Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping in September and October 2013 in announcements revealing the SREB and MSR, respectively. Also, it was promoted by Premier Li Keqiang during the State visit in Asia and Europe.

Infrastructure networks

The coverage area of the initiative is primarily Asia and Europe. However, Oceania is also included as well as East Africa.

One Road

One Road is the debut album by first-season New Zealand Idol winner Ben Lummis, released in New Zealand on 16 June 2004.

Chart and single information

Chart

One Road debuted on the official New Zealand albums chart at number 1 and held the position for two consecutive weeks. To date it has sold 45,000 copies and has been certified 3xplatinum by the RIANZ.

Singles

Ben's New Zealand Idol winner's song, "They Can't Take That Away", was the only single released from the album, immediately after he won the contest on 10 May 2004. It debuted at number 1 on the official New Zealand singles chart, a position that it held for seven weeks. The single was certified 4xplatinum by the RIANZ (40,000 copies sold). "I Love You, Love Me" was planned as the second single from the album, and although Ben made a music video for the song, the single was never released. Shortly after this he was dropped by Sony BMG.

Track listing

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of projects currently under construction at a cost of $46 billion which are intended to upgrade and expand Pakistani infrastructure. The Exim Bank of China will lend the Government of Pakistan approximately $11 billion to overhaul the country's transportation infrastructure at heavily-subsidized concessionary loans with an interest rate of 1.6%. These projects will span the breadth and width of Pakistan, and will eventually link the Pakistani city of Gwadar Port in southwestern to China’s northwestern autonomous region of Xinjiang via a vast network of highways and railways. As part of the project, an 1,100 kilometer long motorway will be constructed between the cities of Karachi and Lahore, which will connect to the already completed M2 Motorway which runs between Lahore and Islamabad. The Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the Chinese border will also be completely overhauled and widened. The Karachi–Peshawar main railway line will also be completely overhauled to allow for train travel at up to 160 kilometers per hour, with expected completion by December 2019. Pakistan's railway network will also eventually be further developed in order to connect it to the Chinese railway network in Kashgar.

Economic corridor

Economic corridors are integrated networks of infrastructure within a geographical area designed to stimulate economic development. Corridors may be developed within a country or between countries. Corridors exist in Asia,Africa, and other areas.

Economic corridors often feature integrated infrastructure, such as highways, railroads and ports, and may link cities or countries. Corridors may be created to link manufacturing hubs, areas with high supply and demand, and manufacturers of value-added goods. When implemented, economic corridors are often one of a package of different measures including infrastructure development, visa and transport agreements, and standardisation. Consideration of social needs, such as housing, is often considered.

The Asian Development Bank coined the term in 1998.

References

Examples