China’s OBOR initiative has taken the limelight, but expanding and developing the Silk Road is not purely a Chinese play. India had sixteen key Silk Road trading sites in ancient times, more than any other country excepting China, and is currently developing its own Silk Road ambitions.
The Mongolian Embassy in Beijing has held a transportation forum with Chinese and Russian authorities to discuss cooperation on freight train transportation. Mongolia, in specific, is seeking to enact reforms that will allow for more trans-national rail traffic.
Our weekly round up of infrastructure development news across Silk Road routes.
Various regional and trade initiatives are being taken up in a series of ministerial meetings among the Commonwealth of Independent States (Central Asia). In this article, we highlight the agreements under discussion that seek to improve the role of the CIS in international and regional affairs.
With much discussion over the trade along, and participation in projects aligned to the One Belt, One Road scheme, there has been little examination of which currencies will fund such activities. This article discusses the role of the Chinese RMB and Russian ruble.
With the UK now set to exit the European Union, it appears all bets are off as to how the future trade development of the UK pans out. Freed of the political implications with what appears an EU uncertain on how to proceed without the UK, the reality is that Britain is now free to[…..]
China’s plans for a large scale inauguration of President Xi Jinping’s One Belt, One Road dreams lie in tatters after India pulled out of next month’s “Belt Road Forum” to be held in Beijing. The first OBOR summit has been snubbed by Indian Prime Minister Modi due to concerns that attending it would give China India’s approval over the disputed territories of Kashmir promoted by China as part of its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
A common question when it comes to financial assessments of China’s huge Silk Road plans is how to finance the entire initiative. The anticipated expenditure estimates suggest a cumulative investment over an indefinite timescale variously put at between US$4 trillion to US$8 trillion.
By Dezan Shira & Associates The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a key component of China’s OBOR ambitions, and also closer to home – the two countries share a common border. It is important when studying the economic dynamics of the New Silk Road to understand that China has more than trade as a motivating factor. Beijing is concerned[…..]
The recent arrival of a Chinese freight train that had travelled from Yiwu, a consumer electronics manufacturing hub in Zhejiang province, to London’s Barking station has had many China commentators expressing opinions suggesting this is about to become a regular service and will compete favorably with shipping. Brexit watchers expecting renewed UK-China trade agreements seem[…..]