The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will do more than just build better trade links between China and Asia, it will also transform cities in China and those along the BRI routes �" from China’s Chengdu and Xi’an to Colombo’s Financial City in Sri Lanka and further afield in Southeast Asia through improved infrastructure and foreign investment in new real estate projects.

To make the plan a reality, China is spending around $150 billion a year on infrastructure developments in countries that link Asia with Europe via the old Silk Road. It’s a move that China believes will start “a new era of globalization.”

“Many of the BRI countries lack the financial capacity to develop the infrastructure themselves either by public or private means,” says JLL’s Director of Global Research, Jeremy Kelly.

“The BRI makes a crucial difference. With the Chinese backing these infrastructure developments, it means opportunities to attract foreign investment and boost their economic development for these nations.”

Check out the infographic below to see where some of the emerging opportunities are in Asia.

This article was originally published on JLL Real Views, JLL’s news site exploring the big trends shaping the real estate industry’, with ‘Real Views’. www.jllrealviews.com. Reprinted with permission.