To reach out across the sea remains a strong desire today. The ancient sea routes travelled by Zheng He     1         2         3     with the 2lst Century Maritime Silk Road, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The aim of this initiative is to     4         5         6         7     across the historic Silk Road areas, and strengthen the bond between China and the rest of the world.

Hundreds of years on, and with the     8         9         10         11    , the need to trade and the desire to enhance relationships will drive China to reach out across the sea far into the future.