This year marks the tenth year of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) ambitious global endeavour, known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The announcement was made in 2013 during the official visit to Kazakhstan made by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Then known as ‘One Belt One Road’, Xi’s flagship global development plan promised to consolidate the PRC’s position on the world stage through infrastructure projects that would redefine relations between participating countries. Although it is often referred to as the new Silk Road, the geographical scope of the BRI is not limited to the PRC’s neighbouring countries. As shown in Map 1, currently, the BRI spans 149 nations, and includes economic corridors as well as major infrastructural and digital projects on both land and sea. Ten years after the official inauguration of the BRI, this Explainer delves into what it means for the PRC as well as the world beyond, and considers the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead.