Unbuckling the truth behind the ‘Belt’
Re: “Troubled by the ‘Belt’ in China’s global infrastructure plan”, Have Your Say, yesterday.
I share S Tsow’s curiosity about the name “One Belt One Road”.
When the name was first announced by the Chinese government, I thought the Belt must refer to sea routes inspired by Zheng He’s seven maritime voyages during the Ming Dynasty, while the Road referred to the old Silk Road.
But a search on China’s BaiDu reveals that “One Belt and One Road” is an abbreviation of the original “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”.
Historically, the Silk Routes on land and sea were the trade corridors running from China to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, East Africa and Europe. They ran through Eurasia, linking the Asia-Pacific economic sphere with its European counterpart.
Yingwai Suchaovanich
