The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping while visiting Indonesia in October 2013. In scale and ethos, the initiative can be seen as a continuation of the legacy of its ancient predecessor, which stretches back some 2,000 years. The scheme was first put forward at a time when strategic partnership between China and its ASEAN counterparts had entered its 10th year. Underlying this concept is to galvanize relations between China and Southeast Asian countries in the pursuit of common prosperity among all concerned.