China's "Belt and Road" plan is a multi-billion initiative aimed at linking Asia with Europe and Africa, and the countries in between. The plan, formerly known as "One Belt, One Road," brings together the landside Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road developments. The Silk Road Economic Belt connects China, Central Asia, Russia and Europe (the Baltic), linking China with the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean through Central Asia and West Asia, and connecting China with Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Indian Ocean. The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road is from China's coast to Europe through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean on one route, and from China's coast through the South China Sea to the South Pacific.