Nearly six years since its inception, the Belt and Road Initiative , the sprawling Chinese program to connect Eurasia by land and sea, has generated enthusiasm and alarm in equal measure. The initiative's focus on infrastructure development, as well as Chinese financing options that are more enticing than those offered by many international institutions, has provided cash-strapped countries with their only effective means to improve infrastructure. From landlocked Ethiopia and Laos , to the ports of Piraeus in Greece and Doraleh in Djibouti, China has constructed and financed railways, ports and other facilities, brightening the prospects of local economies. These undertakings are just a few of the multitude of projects in the BRI, which China is bankrolling with $70 billion in investments and $400 billion in loans.