ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

21st Century Maritime Silk Road

The Maritime Silk Road is a special path across the oceans around the world. It's like other Silk Road routes, like the one across land in Asia, in that it helps people and goods to travel between different places. The difference is it's on the water instead of on land.

The 21st century Maritime Silk Road is different because it was created in 2013, which is recent compared to when the Silk Road opened centuries ago. It's also longer and different, because goods travel on ships instead of on camels or by walking. It passes through lots of different countries, including China, Indonesia, India, Japan, the Philippines, and many more. Businesses can use this route to bring goods like clothes, food, technology, and other things to lots of far-away places. This helps keep the world economy going, and makes sure that people in different places can get what they need.