China's Belt and Road at 10: 150 partner countries, $3 trillion trade in 2025
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A decade after Beijing's Belt and Road programmatic speech, China's trade with participating countries exceeded $3 trillion in 2025. The corridor accounted for more than half of China's total foreign trade in the first quarter of 2026, with imports and exports up more than 14 percent.
Key Facts
- Xi Jinping delivered his programmatic Belt and Road speech at a Beijing symposium ten years ago.
- China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with more than 150 countries since 2013.
- China's direct non-financial investment in Belt and Road countries exceeded $39 billion in 2025, an 18 percent increase from 2024.
- Belt and Road trade has accounted for more than half of China's total foreign trade since the fourth quarter of 2023.
Speech and Partnership Network
Xi Jinping called for promoting infrastructure connectivity, stimulating trade, deepening financial cooperation, and benefiting populations along the routes. The initiative was proposed in 2013 and has since expanded to more than 150 partner countries. The anniversary marks ten years since the programmatic speech at the Beijing symposium.
Trade and Investment Figures
China's trade with Belt and Road countries exceeded $3 trillion in 2025, a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year. Imports and exports with Belt and Road countries grew more than 14 percent in the first quarter of 2026. Belt and Road trade accounted for more than half of China's total foreign trade from the fourth quarter of 2023. Direct non-financial investment by China in Belt and Road countries surpassed $39 billion in 2025, an 18 percent rise.
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China's Belt and Road at 10: 150 partner countries, $3 trillion trade in 2025
