Europe is an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative, with 27 countries signing up.

Under the initiative, China has helped to build or invest in key infrastructure projects, including Greece's largest port, Piraeus. Each year it serves around 16 million passengers and handles about five million cargo containers. 

In Croatia, the Peljesac Bridge opened last year, linking the country's mainland to the southern peninsula. 

A major railway connecting Serbia and Hungary is also under construction, cutting travel time between the two countries' capitals by more than half.

It's not only about building infrastructure. The Belt and Road Initiative includes a huge railway network linking China to more than 200 cities in 25 European countries.

It's transforming the way goods are moved between the two continents. In the climate crisis - with air travel much criticized - using rail to move freight is more environmentally-friendly, cheaper than air travel, and quicker than going by sea.

In the past decade, more than 78,000 train journeys have been made using this network, to transport more than seven million containers.

The Belt and Road Initiative is also strengthening cultural links between China and Europe.

For example, Luban Workshops are to be found in several European countries - and named after an ancient Chinese craftsman. It's a vocational training program, which offers a range of courses, from mechanical and electrical engineering, to cooking.

There have been art exhibitions as well, along with scholarship programs that have brought international students from Europe to China.

Trade and global connections are vital to the world economy - even through periods of geopolitical turmoil. China, and more than 150 countries, see the Belt and Road as playing a large role in that bigger picture.

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