That’ll be great, except the routes go through some of the most politically unstable regions in the world.
They probably weren't exactly stable during its first incarnation either though ...
silk road bookmark
Note: Columbus was looking for a route to China and India that avoided the Muslim areas. The Muslims taxed trade at each point along the Silk Route, to the point that goods coming from China and India were very expensive, and in some cases shut off completely.
In 1453, just a few years prior to Columbus sailing West, the Ottoman Empire had conquered Constantinople (Eastern Roman Empire), and changed its name to Istanbul.
People forget that the Mediterranean was once dominated by the Ottoman Empire. According to Robert Davis in “Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500–1800”, from the 16th to 19th centuries, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.
So, what would bring a large Chinese army into the Middle East? Which Muslim nation(s) does China support? Which Muslim nation(s) demand Israel cease to exist?
It seems G_d has everything under control and has let us know in His Word what the outcome will be.
Exactly what I was thinking. How they going to provide security along that route? I bet it ends up costing a lot more than $1 trillion to build too. Somehow I just get a whiff of crude oil in this intention. China is after everybody's oil. Maybe this is plan B if they back away from the S. China Sea.