Posted on 07/02/2019 7:25:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is China's two-prong attempt to construct a new Silk Road. The first prong is the overland Silk Road Economic Belt. The other is the Maritime Silk Road. Both are being undertaken simultaneously and are said to one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever attempted by man. Here is a map showing the grand scope of the project.
The BRI is intended to be a vast network of railways, seaports, gas and oil pipelines, and highways built by Chinese companies and labor. China also wants construct up to fifty special economic zones along its Silk Path modeled after its own Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Over a trillion dollars is expected to spent on these projects by 2027. So far, sixty countries have signed up for the BRI or have expressed an interest in joining it.
Most countries involved with the BRI are developing ones. They are looking for Chinese financing (loans) for infrastructure in the hopes of spurring their lagging economies. But China isn't just bottom fishing. It has carefully been targeting countries in South and Central Europe. In March of this year, Italy became the first developed country and G-7 member to join the BRI. This makes Italy the fourteenth European Union member state to ink an agreement with the Beijing.
The BRI is sold as a win-win economic plan. Critics, however, see it more a means for China to enhance its political clout, strengthen its military position, and provide markets upon which to dump its excess manufacturing capacity. Through the BRI, China hopes for nothing less than to remake the geopolitical balance of power and boldly assert itself throughout the world.
One has to wonder if the countries in the BRI have thought through the ramifications of what they're getting into.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
It’s just a Scam to loan money to countries that can’t pay it back so the Chinese Communist Party can help themselves to Land and Ports etc
I remember being in the Ivory Coast at the president’s home village. 8 lane roads going several miles out into the bush with street lights, but just the infrastructure built with the hope of more economic development in the future.
Under the theory if you build it they will come. Houphouët-Boigny believed it would become a pilgrimage site for African Catholics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Peace
But the infrastructure is just one piece of the puzzle. Per Adam Smith, there is also an Invisible Hand involved in wealth of nations.
And that is the issue, is this wealth building or just spending because you can. They look the same sometimes.
The map suggests that Taiwan is good with it. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
5 ocean choke points
What did you do in the Ivory Coast? My son is there now.
What we have here is Marco Polo in reverse. The concept is excellent and over time could produce great change. China can come to Europe and evict the radical islamists
Or China can take over.
Just saying.
Interesting map. It hadn’t occurred to me that “Taipei” is “Taibei” in pinyin (the second consonant is a “b” sound), which is reflected in the Cyrillic spelling.
Duterte has opted for very expensive Chinese loans over interest-free JICA (Japan) grants, 100s of thousands of illegal Chinese workers in the Philippines and Chinese signage going up everywhere. Boracay Island is reserved for a Chinese only. The Philippines is turning into a defacto province of Communist China. Seen the same thing in the UAE. Chinese replacing Filipinos, Indonesians and Indians.
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