From my mom's closet in Metro Detroit, Michigan, I'm Tim Desher, and this is Heritage Explains.

On any given day, what's the news we typically see and hear about China?

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to up the ante on a bruising trade war with China.

He's reiterated a warning that he could impose further tariffs on Chinese goods worth hundreds of billions of dollars. China raided our factories, offshored our jobs, gutted our industries, stole our

intellectual property, and violated their commitments under the World Trade Organization.

To make matters worse, they are considered a developing nation, getting all sorts of benefits

that others, including the United States,

are not entitled to.

So happening in just the past few minutes, China's national parliament has approved a controversial

national security law for Hong Kong, which criminalizes acts of sedition and terrorism.

Now, this coming, as the National People's Congress meets in Beijing,

the legislation has faced sharp criticism from governments all around the world.

We continue our look this morning of what China does not want you to see.

The United States says the superpower is reclaiming land in the South China Sea.

Artificial islands under construction could become military bases.

Okay, we've heard all those stories before. But here's one that may be new to you.

Have you heard of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative?

According to a Heritage Report by Jeff Smith, here's what it is in a nutshell.

In 2013, China made a big public announcement that they intend to spend or invest over $1 trillion on new infrastructure like roads, railways, bridges, and other connectivity investments across the Indo-Pacific and Eurasian supercontinent.

But why?

For China, it provides an incredible economic foothold in the region, and also greater energy security, counterterrorism,

it boosts Chinese exports and popularizes Chinese currency.

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