The famed Silk Road trading routes once connected China with medieval Europe. Today, the One Belt, One Road initiative is strengthening China’s ties to countries along the same routes—and as Fortune reports in a feature this week, the economic and geopolitical stakes are far higher. According to the Mercator Institute, the 65 countries that could eventually be connected by Belt and Road account for around 30% of the global economy.
About $900 billion worth of infrastructure developments are now either underway or in detailed planning stages, according to the China Development Bank; this map highlights some of the signature projects.
This is part of Fortune’s 2017 Investor’s Guide, which offers advice about the best strategies for next year. A version of this article appears as a sidebar in the article “China Spreads the Wealth Around” from the December 15, 2016 issue of Fortune.
