China's Silk Road Economic Belt - Preview

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As envisioned by Beijing, the new Silk Road
Economic Belt and Maritime routes will comprise
two distinct transportation corridors: a land route
that connects Xi’an in West China to Duisburg in
Germany and Rotterdam in theNetherlands byway
of Central Asia, and a sea route that connects South
China to North and East
Africa by way of Vietnam,
M a l a y s i a , I n d o n e s i a ,
Sri Lanka, Myanmar and
India. China is prepared to
invest hundreds of billions
of dollars in making this
happen over the course of
the next few decades. It is
the largest diplomatic and
infrastructure effort ever put
into place. In the words of
President Xi Jinping, it will
create the world’s biggest
single market.
It is already known that China spends 8.5 percent
of its total GDP on infrastructure, the highest
percentage in the world. Getting to grips with
accessing that in the form of infrastructure
projects is an issue right at the top of every
major manufacturer and contractor involved in
infrastructure development worldwide. Inmy new
book “China’s New Economic Silk Road”, I outline
how this can be done, the countries involved,
and the problems as well as the opportunities
in becoming part of these
plans.
This issue of China Briefing
outlines the fundamentals
of China’s proposed new Silk
Road Economic Belt. It begins
by highlighting the overland
route that encompasses
Central Asia, and then details
plans behind maritime and
overland routes through
South-East Asia.
I hope you find this issue a useful primer for your
on-going China development knowledge. The
Silk Road Economic Belt will affect all businesses
operating in China – now is a good time to start
thinking about its implications.
This Month’s Cover Art
Silk Road Caravan
by A. Zogart, 2012
From the authors private collection
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looking to implement suggestions
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Introduction