'Belt and Road Initiative' is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) China
The Belt and Road Initiative is China's project to link Asia, Europe and Africa through roads, rail, ports and pipelines. President Xi Jinping launched it in 2013, first under the name One Belt, One Road.
- ✓ (d) It has two parts: the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and the ocean-going Maritime Silk Road. Both are Chinese-led, financed and promoted by China.
- ✗ (a) The African Union is a continental body of African states; Africa is only one region where BRI projects are built.
- ✗ (b) Brazil has no connection with the scheme's origin; it is not a Belt and Road initiator.
- ✗ (c) The European Union is a partner-side region that BRI routes reach; the Initiative is not an EU programme.
Remember · Belt and Road Initiative = China's 2013 connectivity plan: Silk Road Economic Belt (land) plus 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (sea). Earlier called One Belt, One Road.
Sources
- China's One Belt One Road Initiative: What we know thus far (World Bank blog, 4 December 2015) ↗ “President Xi Jinping launched China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative in 2013 with the stated aim to connect major Eurasian economies through infrastructure, trade and investment.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·