China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative has received an increasing amount of attention from foreign media outlets since it was first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, with the number of mentions peaking in May this year, according to a Global Times survey.
The number of stories on the "One Belt, One Road" policy have surged from less than 30 pieces written in September 2013 to 1,678 pieces in May 2015.
The survey monitored media coverage of the initiative between September 1, 2013 and May 30, 2015 by searching for articles that used the phrases "Belt and Road," "Belt and Road Initiative," "One Belt, One Road," "Silk Road Economic Belt" or "21st Century Maritime Silk Road."
Concrete actions taken to realize the strategy have attracted the attention of journalists, said Wan Jun, research fellow from the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The "One Belt, One Road" initiative -focuses on enhancing connectivity among -Eurasian countries through infrastructure projects. The plan also aims to promote financial integration and cross-border trade.
In May 2014, stories regarding "One Belt, One Road" were mainly produced by Asia-based media outlets.
The -Western -media has shown major interest in the -initiative since November 2014, after the Asian -Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund were established in that month.
Stories covering the initiative reached their peak after China made clear the planned direction and tasks for "One Belt, One Road" during the Boao Forum for Asia in March 2015, according to the survey.
