This week’s documentary film curated by our editorial team at 21WIRE.
EDITOR’S NOTE: China’s international trade and infrastructural expansion is influencing geopolitical events from Asia, to the Middle East, all the way to eastern Europe’s Balkan states. The West could only dream of making the sort of capital investments being made by China across Eurasia at the moment. How will the Western powers react to, and eventually accommodate this formidable emerging international force?
“In its heyday, the ancient Silk Road was Eurasia’s most important trade route, connecting two rich continents to facilitate trade and cultural exchange. Modern-day China has seen near constant economic growth. It boasts of several record figures, including the highest number of skyscrapers and the longest railroads. Five years ago, the government announced a new plan, “One Belt, One Road”, an initiative to revive the Silk Road. The strategy seeks to help China play a bigger role in global affairs through developing an infrastructure that will unite the countries of the two continents under a cohesive economic area. Many ancient Chinese cities that were once outposts along the Silk Road, desert oases or transport hubs are now rapidly transforming themselves into megacities, so that they can, once again, service and profit from the trade route. New businesses are opening, facilitated by the development of a reliable transport system, which in turn brings greater tourist flow. Some cities are also grated the status of special economic area, offering attractive tax incentives to foreign investors.”
Run time: 24 min
Produced by China Radio International
