By Reid Standish, Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
FOREIGN POLICY - May 7, 2015
hinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Thursday to
solidify new deals for Beijing’s ambitious plan to revive the old Silk
Road as a modern-day trade hub. Beijing has already spent billions of
dollars on roads, railways, and other infrastructure and intends to
invest billions more to connect China to Europe in what it calls the
“Silk Road Economic Belt.”
Xi’s visit comes as other major powers have launched economic
integration projects in Eurasia. Russia launched the Eurasian Economic
Union in January and the United States is plugging its own
infrastructure project, the “New Silk Road.” But Beijing has outshined
both countries in investment and execution. Now both Washington and
Moscow are trying to hitch their wagons to China’s massive project.
Here at Foreign Policy,
we’ve put together an interactive guide tracking Beijing’s victories
and obstacles along the new Silk Road. The list of participating
countries is still not finalized, but with China forking out billions in
trade deals and preferential loans, its appeal as an economic
benefactor is only set to grow.
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