The New Silk Road

the New Silk Road —“One Belt, One Road”, China’s plan is to build closer economic ties between Europe and Asia, and also to strengthen trade links with Africa. It is a sort of modern Silk Road – with an investment of many billions in railway lines, pipelines, and ports.

Because modern China has no class system, the Silk Road influence on the different classes (agricultural, commercial, enterprises) has turned into an impact on China or the world economy.

The Silk Road initiative was launched by Chinese President “Xi Jinping”(习近平) in 2013. Its main aim is to develop cooperation between China and Eurasian countries along the route of the historic Silk Road in order to support China’s exports. At the same time, The new initiative was not only aimed at states in Central Asia but that it should also stretch out towards Europe. And Africa is to be included along sea lanes.

In 2011, after many years of construction, China inaugurated a railway connection between Chongqing and Europe. Since then, the frequency of freight trains using the line has risen rapidly. By 2015, the number of freight trains on this line between China and Europe was 815, representing a year-on-year increase of 165%.

The key elements of the Silk Road initiative are strengthening political dialogue and cultural exchange, establishing closer trading ties, and expanding infrastructure. It comprises not only road and rail links, but also power grids and pipeline connections. This expansion – one of the largest infrastructure projects in Asia – has the highest priority in China’s foreign and trade policy.

As part of the One Belt, One Road project, a New Silk Road is to be built on the footprint of the old network of caravan routes. These trading routes are to link up 65 countries and territories. They include not only land connections between countries (the Silk Road Economic Belt) but also waterways (the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road). The individual routes are to be linked to each other by connective corridors.

According to China’s trade ministry, the number of goods and services traded with countries along the One Belt, One Road route in 2015 was US$ 995bn, representing around a quarter of China’s trading volume. Within a decade, bilateral trade is expected to increase to more than US$ 2.5trn.

 

New Silk Road Map

1. Northern Line A: North America (USA, Canada) – North Pacific – Japan, South Korea – Sea of Japan – Vladivostok – Hunchun – Yanji – Jilin ——Changchun – Mongolia – Russia – Europe
2. Northern Line B: Beijing – Russia – Germany – Northern Europe

3, the middle line: Beijing – Zhengzhou – Xi’an – Urumqi – Afghanistan – Kazakhstan – Hungary – Paris

4. South Line: Quanzhou – Fuzhou – Guangzhou – Haikou – Beihai – Hanoi – Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta – Colombo – Calcutta – Nairobi – Athens – Venice
5. Centerline: Lianyungang – Zhengzhou – Xi’an – Lanzhou – Xinjiang – Central Asia – Europe

Outcome

• Monnet Railway

The Mongolian Railway is the first new railway built in Kenya in the past 100 years. It is planned to have a total length of 2,700 kilometers and is expected to have a total cost of 25 billion U.S. dollars.

• Karachi-Lahore Expressway

The Karachi-Lahore Expressway Project is the largest transportation infrastructure project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It has a total length of 1,152 kilometers and is designed in a bidirectional 6-lane design with a design speed of 120 km/h.

• Pakistan Carlot Hydropower Station
• Central Asian Gas Pipeline Project
• Indonesia Yawan High-Speed Rail
• Tehran to Mashhad High-Speed Rail
• Laos Railway