UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 97 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Belt and Road Initiative

‘Belt and Road Initiative’ is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of

  1. African Union
  2. Brazil
  3. European Union
  4. China
Show answer

Answer: D. China

Verdict

The answer is China. The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese connectivity strategy.

Analysis

Unveiled by Xi Jinping in 2013, the initiative combines the land based Silk Road Economic Belt with the ocean going Maritime Silk Road, and it is commonly referred to as One Belt One Road. The belt and the road together run through Asia, Europe and Africa, focusing on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia through infrastructure, energy and trade corridors. Neither the African Union, nor Brazil, nor the European Union originated it, though all lie along or adjacent to its routes.

Source

The Hindu opinion piece on China's One Belt One Road programme.

How to crack it

The Silk Road reference in the initiative's full name points unambiguously to China, since the historic route began there and the framing is deliberately civilisational. Reading a project's name for the historical claim it makes about its author is a useful move in international relations questions, where naming is itself a diplomatic act. Keep the two components separate as well, because the land belt and the maritime road are asked about individually.

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