The Growth of the Silk Road and Its Unlimited Opportunities

The Silk Road project has been given a massive boost of $174 billion from Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Luca Lichtenberger | May 15, 2017

China: The silk road project will connect 60 countries creating a massive network of trade routes.
Since its announcement in 2013,
the silk road project has been
growing and with this huge boost,
the project should get going
rapidly in its tracks. This project
has many great opportunities for
everyone: it will create many
working places; improve
relationships between countries
and most importantly advance
trade links between Asia, the
Middle East and Europe, Xi
Jinping told delegates at the
summit. The Road and Belt
initiative aims to renew the Silk
Road and connect countries over
road, railway and sea, creating
better trade routes. Xi Jinping
announced this week, that China
would invest a further $174
billion into the project.
This project is the largest
infrastructure project and will link China is also investing in
over 60 countries over land and pipelines, ports, bridges and
sea. China has been investing railways spreading over various
heavily in the Belt and Road plan, countries.
estimated to be $150 billion each
This project has created many
year with $900 billion already
great opportunities for workers
spent. The Road and Belt
and companies globally. The
initiative is a massive project and
possibilities are endless and will
will hopefully connect China
strengthen not only Chinas
globally, creating more financial
economy, but the worlds
opportunities, says professor
economy, Chairwomen Jin Qi
Zhang Weiwei from the Fudan
said. In todays world, global
University.
connection and trust are vitally
The initiative focuses on investing important and the Silk Road
in different infrastructure project will hopefully achieve
projects across all the 60 both.
countries. China is investing in
Due to Chinas weakening
many different international
economy and its falling foreign
infrastructure projects, such as
reserves there have been some
the Hinkley Point C nuclear power
worries over whether China could
plant in England with a whopping
complete this enormous project,
$2 billion, stated Foreign
but during the two-day summit Xi
Minister Wang Yi during the two-
Jinping assured that the silk road
day summit earlier this month.
is not going to be used as a tool
to exert control over other immediate, while others will be and bright future, which our
countries. more noticeable in the long term. children will take over and
There will be many good things continue doing so for centuries to
Furthermore, there have been
coming out of this project come.
some countries feeling concerned
because of its varied effects. First
over the silk road project The silk road project has been
of all, this project creates many
met with some criticism, but
with India boycotting the summit, working places. This in turn will
countries across the world
claiming that the project would boost the countrys economy.
support this initiative, which has
burden countries with debt and Once the silk road is done, trade
the power to change the world
environmental damage. However, will increase drastically, which in
we live in, as proclaimed above
most countries support the turn will improve the worlds
by Xi Weihua. With this $174
project, with the United States economy and may prevent
billion boost the project will start
saying that it welcomes the another 2008 economic crisis,
taking off rapidly and unite Asia,
initiative and that US companies pronounced Xi Weihua, Secretary
the Middle East and Europe
are ready to take part in it. of State of the Peoples Republic
through a series of trade network
of China. The silk road will
The possibilities for this silk road change our world for the better by road, railway and sea.
are endless. Some effects will be and enable us to live in a secure
 The New York Times
What is the Real Reason Behind Chinas Belt and Road Initiative?
The Silk Road Project first announced in 2013 has been given a massive boost of $174 billion from Chinese
president Xi Jinping and countries are vary of the real reasons behind Chinas Silk Road project.
Luca Lichtenberger | May 15, 2017

China: Chinas mega silk road project will span over Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

In 2013 China has announced its gigantic
and ambitious Road and Belt initiative,
which would connect Asia with Europe
and the Middle East through road,
railway and the sea, as once the Silk Road
did during the Han Dynasty. This project
aims to improve trade between over 60
countries and improve global
relationships. Chinese president Xi
Jinping has just given this project a
massive boost of $174 billion, aimed to
drive along the project even farther.
The initiative invests in many different
infrastructure projects along the silk
road, ranging from bridges to ports and
oil pipelines to better paved roads. The
$174 billion push is added to $900 billion not support the project.
already spent, which amounts to
approximately $150 billion spent each
year on the one belt, one road initiative.Some say it is what China is selling it for:
One example of such an investment is a series of investments to create a
the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant modern silk road, so trade and
in England, which China has invested in relationships are improved. However,
with a gigantic $2 billion fund. some experts suggest that China has
darker reasons. China is not only
Most countries support the Chinese building the silk road for improved
projects because of its possibilities. The trade, but also to expand their power.
new Silk Road would improve trade This Belt and Road initiative allows the
drastically and not only benefit Chinas Chinese government to have more
economy, but the worlds. Furthermore, influence over Europe, Asia and the
the construction of all the infrastructure Middle East. With added investment in
gives workers a job opportunity, which Africa, China has control over almost the
also benefits the countries general GDP. entire world. If they play this right, their
However, some countries are sceptical. control can be widened drastically and
India boycotted the two-day summit with an immediate effect, says
earlier this month, stating that they do Professor Smith at the University of
Glasgow. When asked what this effect
The real reasons behind this initiative are could be, he answered: There will be
still unknown and are being speculated. many effects, both short term and long
term. The infrastructure has to be built
by someone, so there will be thousands
of open job spaces, which have to be
filled. The entire infrastructure market
will shift and be heavily influenced by
China. International money flow will also
be an immediate effect and has already
started to take place. Building companies
will grow and global money flow will be
different, as China is spending billions of
dollars on this project. Obviously, trade
will also be different once this project is
complete.
Some people are even sceptical if China
will be able to complete this project.
The amount of money involved in this
project is shocking and amazing at the
same time. China has already spent $900
billion, not including the extra $174
billion Xi Jinping has announced. The
project has only just started in its tracks
and already China has almost carelessly
spent so much money. It would be
stunning if China could complete this
initiative successfully without going
absolutely bankrupt, states Norman
Finkelstein from the Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs.
Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative has
both positive and negative sides and
different countries are looking at them
differently. However, what is known is
that this project is one of the biggest
ones in modern history and will change
the way the world interacts today.