This thesis examines the role of ports and sea routes within China's "One Belt, One Road" project, which is considered one of China's biggest economic and political projects. The project consists of two core programmes linking the economic and trade spheres of Asia to the One Belt, One Road partner countries through land-sea routes. The main objectives of the "One Belt, One Road" project are to improve the economic situation of China and the "One Belt, One Road" partner countries through transport and construction infrastructure, and to improve the regional connectivity of the countries within the project itself, which in turn will also have an impact on improving trade relations between the partner countries. The main cornerstones of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are the sea routes along which the entire world's maritime trade takes place and the seaports that are the termination points of these routes. The successful operation of such a huge project requires several different types of seaports, which affect the smooth flow of maritime trade and the successful functioning of the entire maritime network and its links to land-based networks. The maritime ports of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road programme thus start in the coastal regions of China and continue through the coastal regions of South and South-East Asia, the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean and Africa, and end in the coastal regions of Europe, which are of the greatest interest to China and its shipping operators.
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