The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a Chinese government strategy for infrastructure and economic development. Launched by Xi Jinping in 2013, it encompasses projects in more than 150 countries, including railways, roads, ports, power stations and telecommunications.

The initiative includes overland transport corridors and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Its projects include the Boten–Vientiane railway in Laos, part of China’s expansion of high-speed rail abroad.

In the news context, the railway connecting China’s Yunnan province with Vientiane was described as a potential supply route for the joint airfield in Laos.