#Belt and Road

[apas-95]

LMAO there's now outrage that china's lending doesn't come with forced 'structural adjustments' like the IMF does

[lejournaldupeintre]

Forest City: The 100 billion dollar ‘Future City’ of Malaysia that is now a ghost city

Forest City, situated in Johor at the southern tip of Malaysia, which was touted to be an environmentally friendly metropolis, has now turned into a ghost town. This place now has such an eerie vibe that even former residents are hesitant to even revisit. Built in 2016 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative—a substantial £78 billion global infrastructure endeavour—the city was a flagship…

[workersolidarity]

🇨🇳🇷🇺 RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN MEETS WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AT THIRD BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE FORUM

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing.

As the host country, Republic of China President Xi Jinping spoke first, thanking the Russian President and pointing to the implementation of the agreements and celebrating record trade between the two countries, which is approaching $200 Billion this year.

"Mr President, during the ten years since 2013, the two of us have held 42 meetings and established good business-like relations and a strong personal friendship" President Xi said.

"Mutual trust in our political relations is steadily growing. Close and effective strategic collaboration is being maintained. Bilateral trade has achieved historic records and is approaching the target of $200 billion we have set."

After the opening ceremony of the forum, President Xi Jinping introduced Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke at the Belt & Road Forum.

The Russian President thanked President Xi for his invitation and congratulated the Chinese President on the 74th Anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

"Next year will be an anniversary year for both your country and the diplomatic relations between our countries. On October 2, 1949, the next day after the establishment of the PRC, the USSR was the first to recognise the new China" President Putin said to the Chinese President in his speech.

President Putin pointed to the Chinese President's visit in March, saying this was a special sign indicating the close "level and nature" of relations between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.

"One and a half years after my last visit, all of us, our large delegation, are in Beijing again. We can see that the city is developing and prospering, and we are very glad for our Chinese friends," President Putin told the Chinese leader.

"Your idea of promoting wide-ranging cooperation between the countries of the historical Silk Road, which was put forward ten years ago, has gained momentum."

President Putin further told President Xi that although plans are being designed and implemented, the nations involved may be unsure how a project will turn out, however China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, is always highly successful in its endeavors, and he thanked the Chinese President for their collaboration, saying all parties gain from the arrangement.

President Putin went on to promote the initiatives of the Belt and Road programme, pointing to the Chinese President's ideas, which Putin described as intended to benefit the whole of mankind and wished the Chinese President success in this noble undertaking.

"Under the difficult present-day conditions, it is particularly relevant to maintain close foreign policy coordination, something we are doing now. Today, we will discuss all of this, including, and primarily, our bilateral relations."

President Putin finished by saying, "You have just mentioned our bar – our objective of reaching $200 billion in trade this year. If we look at the year-on-year figures – we analysed this yesterday evening – the 200-billion target was reached between this day a year ago and today, and this bar will certainly be exceeded by the end of the calendar year. Therefore, we are advancing very confidently on the bilateral plane as well."

The Russian President then thanked his Chinese counterpart before the official Forum began, after which the Russian President spoke at length about cooperation between the two powers.

During his remarks at the Forum, President Putin told the audience that the essence of the Belt and Road Initiative is to "promote creative and constructive interaction" throughout the international community.

"We pointed out on numerous occasions that Russia and China, just as the majority of other countries, share the striving for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation towards universal, sustainable and lasting economic progress and social welfare based on respect for the civilisational diversity and the right of every state to its own development model," President Putin said in his speech.

President Putin went on, "The Belt and Road initiative is based on these fundamental principles and fits in very well with the integration processes that are ongoing in many regions. It also corresponds to the Russian ideas of creating an integration contour that will ensure the freedom of trade, investment and employment and will be complemented with interconnected infrastructure."

President Putin said the Belt and Road programme meshes well with the Russian idea of creating greater Eurasian partnership, expanding cooperation and interaction between like-minded nations and the integration of multilateral organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Russia is successfully developing with its post-Soviet partners.

President Putin further emphasized new agreements between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on the development of the EAEU and Belt and Road programme, along with a non-preferential agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU and China. To this end, a joint commission was established to "align our efforts to implement this agreement."

"In February 2023, we adopted an expanded roadmap, which provides, in part, for the development of relations between the EAEU and China in trade policy and the digitisation of transport corridors," President Putin said.

The Russian leader further noted the importance of the initiatives, saying they were an, "integral part of Russia’s national development strategy, the strengthening of our economic, technological and financial sovereignty, as well as the modernisation and expansion of infrastructure."

The Russian President told audiences he believes the Belt and Road Initiatives were very important to participating countries and pointed to the expansive Russian territories for enhancing the connectivity between the Russian Federation and its partners.

The Russian President mentioned the various infrastructure projects being implemented through the Belt and Road, telling the audience that, taken together, the projects will allow participants to create an "integral transport and logistics network" and to "diversify freight traffic through more effective, reliable and safe" transportation.

"For example, we are building the North-South international corridor in European Russia, which President Xi has mentioned. It will connect Russian ports on the Baltic and Arctic seas to ports in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Seamless rail connectivity, as professionals say, will be ensured throughout this route, from Murmansk in the north of Russia to Bandar Abbas in Iran," President Putin said.

"Another north-south transport artery will run via the Urals region and Siberia. Its main elements are the modernisation of the central part of the Trans-Siberian Railway, including the West-Siberian Railway line running across several regions of Siberia, namely the Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and Tomsk regions and the Altai Territory. The other elements are the construction of the Northern Latitudinal Railway, as we call it, towards the ports on the Arctic Ocean and the Yamal Peninsula in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and a new North Siberian Railway from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area towards our largest railway network comprising the Trans-Siberian Railway and Baikal-Amur Mainline."

After the initial speeches and meetings, President Xi Jinping of China and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines to further discuss trade, economic cooperation, as well as the global and regional situation. The Russian delegation included a large number of senior officials, including the Vice Premier, representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Economic Development agencies, as well as representatives from the Transportation and Finance departments.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[sommeregholm86]

BRI In My Eyes | Belt and Road Initiative in Kenya

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in the transportation, communication and financial sectors have contributed to making Kenya a formidable economic hub in the East Africa region. The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) which connects the capital Nairobi with Mombasa, the largest port in Kenya has provided a major link for many traders in Kenya and outside world. Mombasa port serves more than 80% of the regional trade as it is the gateway and exit point for cargo of the landlocked countries like Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. The current project under this initiative is the Lamu Port project which is part of a transport corridor between Lamu-South Sudan and Ethiopia.

The first phase of the port is already completed and this project is seen as a game changer towards the realization of Kenya's Vision 2030 development plan. Upon completion, this transport corridor was reported to comprise a standard gauge railway line, an oil pipeline and a refinery, road network, etc. This will promote economic development, job opportunities and ease of doing businesses to many.

Some of the BRI projects in Kenya that I have experienced including:

a) Kenya Standard Gauge Railway

The modern Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway (SGR) is one of the flagship projects of the BRI. The SGR was officially opened for passengers' rail services on May 31, 2017. The primary contractor of this mega project is the China Road & Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The contractor applied Chinese standards, technologies and equipments in constructing the rail and equally raised the railway so as to conserve Kenyan precious wildlife as it passes through the Tsavo National Park.

In mid-December 2018, I travelled via the SGR train from Nairobi to Mombasa for a five-day vacation. This was my very first time to board the train after its launch. The SGR took 4.5 hours from Nairobi to Mombasa as compared to the old train which takes about nine hours to travel the same distance.

Benefits of the Standard Gauge Railway are as follow:

First, the SGR has reduced the cost of transportation of cargo, people and services from Mombasa to Nairobi. It will cost much less to transport standard container through SGR cargo train as compared to the costs if the same cargo is transported by road. Second, the SGR has created jobs for Kenyan citizens and these have boosted the Kenyan economy.

b) Kenya Nairobi Expressway

The Nairobi Expressway is a 27 kilometres toll road in Kenya, connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi's Westland's area and constructed under a public-private partnership between the government of Kenya and the China Road & Bridge Corporation.

The road links the central business district with Jomo Kenyatta Airport and SGR, all of which are crucial in aiding movements of people, goods and services into and out of the city.

The road starts from Mlolongo through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Nairobi's central business district to the James Gichuru junction along Waiyaki Way. The expressway terminates at the Westland's district near the United Nations complex where international meetings take place.

Benefits of the Nairobi Expressway:

Nairobi Expressway has eased the traffic and is providing a seamless access to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and its environs. The road has expanded the existing road to a four-lane one-way one, with foot paths, drainage channels, overpass bridges and street lighting. These major city entry and exit points have promoted tourism industry. Secondly, the road has reduced travel time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Nairobi central business district to 15-20 minutes, instead of the two hours it took, before the expressway was built.

c) Telecommunication sector 

Kenya is among the countries with the highest internet penetration rate through its partnership with Huawei, a multinational Chinese ICT provider. Huawei has helped the country in modernization of its telecommunication capabilities. This has helped the promotion of e-commerce, internet protocol and investment in the ICT sector and collaboration between Kenya and the rest of the world. For example, a good number of Kenyan citizens prefer Huawei smartphones to other mobile brands in the Kenyan markets.

D) Cultural exchanges

Through BRI, many young Kenyans have been given scholarships by the Chinese government, helping Kenyans further their education overseas and thus promoting people-people exchanges. These exchanges have strengthened the cooperation in the field of art, media, science, films and sports, demonstrating the commitment in this initiative between China and Kenya. For example, it is through this programme that I am able to study overseas through the Chinese scholarship programme.

KENYA BRI FUTURE PROSPECT:

In the future, the SGR will extend its reach as was the original plan to countries like Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. This network will benefit Kenya greatly as the land of East Africa harbors a tremendous amount of strategic natural resources. 

CONCLUSION

The projects that Kenya has realized through this initiative such as the standard gauge railway, Nairobi Expressway and the global trade center have effectively promoted local economy and social development. Through the BRI, China and Kenya will continue expanding the frontiers of globalization and working hand in hand in building a community of shared future for humanity. 

For more information, visit: china belt and road initiative

[hayingsang]

Read in 2024

Raffaello Pantucci and Sarah Lain, China's Eurasian Pivot

China’s Eurasian Pivot is a more than useful introduction to the rollout of China’s belt and road strategy during the first few years after Xi Jinping announced his grand scheme in 2013. Though published in 2017, and so not completely up-to-date, Pantucci and Lain do a fine job of outlining the various agendas China and its various neighbours have for building infrastructure, economic and security ties. Their evenhanded account highlights China’s modus operandi, exploring its strengths and weaknesses, and in the process making its rationale understandable and so offering a valuable tool in the ways of thinking that guide Chinese policy-making and its implementation. All in all, an excellent and impressively concise (just 98 pages) guide to what China is up to around its western and northern border. My only complaint: the book’s excessive use of abbreviations with no glossary or index to remind you of what they stand for when you can’t remember.

[immaculatasknight]

There is a better choice

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

2024 Zhang Ming: Responding to Critical Domestic and International Changes

Yet another article calling for a new round of opening and reform for China as part of the solution for problems facing China today. Zhang Ming translated below also warns China to avoid over-securitization [泛安全化 fàn ānquán huà], to heed the lesson of 1980s era Soviet Union and President Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ program: don’t get into an arms race that will sap China’s comprehensive national…

[beltandroadportal]

Website: https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/

The Belt and Road Portal is run by the China Economic Information Service and the State Information Center, under the guidance of China's National Development and Reform Commission and Xinhua News Agency. It is an official website dedicated to promoting Belt and Road cooperation.

Business Email: yidaiyilu@xinhua.org

[beltandroadcn]

belt and road

The Belt and Road Portal is run by the China Economic Information Service and the State Information Center, under the guidance of China's National Development and Reform Commission and Xinhua News Agency. It is an official website dedicated to promoting Belt and Road cooperation.

[investdefesa]

Novos dados mostram que os EUA superaram os gastos da China no “Belt and Road” nas Ilhas do Pacífico, em 2021 (BreakingDefense)

Pequim e Washington têm travado uma disputa ferrenha pela influência política nas 14 nações insulares do Pacífico. Como se sabe, a Iniciativa “Belt and Road” da China tem sido uma grande questão nos últimos 15 anos, especialmente no Pacífico Sul, onde Pequim busca ganhar poder político sobre Washington e seus aliados. Apesar disso, segundo nos informa o site BreakingDefense.com, os EUA…

[ilgiornaledelriccio]

Pechino pronta per Belt and Road Forum: "Il mondo si aspetta la risposta della Cina alle sfide globali".

Il più importante forum dell’anno sul piano economico e geopolitico, con rappresentanti da 140 paesi, è attualmente in corso a Pechino. Il Presidente russo Vladimir Putin è arrivato proprio questa mattina.L’informazione dei canali occidentali tendono a minimizzare l’evento o alla distorsione degli obiettivi e degli intenti del forum, come accaduto negli ultimi dieci anni su tutto ciò che concerne…

[apas-95]

Talk about a ‘US alternative to the Belt and Road’ is, in my opinion, mischaracterised. Near-universally, it rests on the assumption that the US’s depiction of the BRI - as a simple Chinese-imperialist counterpart to its own historical debt-trap neocolonialism - is accurate, and as such cannot actually deal with the reality of the situation.

The BRI, existing as it does in reality, has many concrete impetuses: it provides land routes for Chinese trade, avoiding western sea-power; it weakens western countries geopolitically; and it develops the global south. These last two are important. China’s specific position as a global south nation, as an exporter (rather than an importer, as with the west) means that it stands to gain from any development of the global south - the US, the world’s largest importer, has the ability to sanction or otherwise trade-restrict nations by simply importing from elsewhere. China, the world’s largest exporter, cannot develop too greatly, cannot climb up the value chain and increase its standards of living, its wages, or the US would simply move production to somewhere less developed, somewhere cheaper - which it broadly has done for low-value-added manufacturing, most cheap goods aren’t produced in China any more. However, if the global south as a whole develops, if not just China, but all the myriad exporters increase their standards, their wages, then there is no alternative, and that development continues.

It might be obvious already, but the US and China stand on opposite sides of the question of development. China stands to gain from increased development, and the US stands to lose. In fact, as the US’s extraordinary wealth is drawn from the exploitation of these global south nations, their dependency on the US and its ability to hold their economies hostage, any increase in the strength, development, and autonomy of global south nations is a direct blow to the US geopolitically and economically. Not only that, but increased development and autonomy lead to trading networks and institutions not directly controlled and managed by the US, i.e. of alternatives to the US, and when given the choice, most won’t choose neocolonialism. Any US investment in infrastructure and development would only be investing in an alternative to itself, in giving the nations it enslaves autonomy, something categorically against the material incentives of the continued survival of the US. China and the US are not simply recolours of each other - China takes the stand of the global south because it is in its material interests to do so, because it is a global south nation.

The US can have no Belt and Road of its own - which is why more funding has gone directly to ‘countering the Belt and Road’ and anti-China propaganda than to any proposed ‘alternative to the Belt and Road’. The fundamental difference is that while China can and does work towards solving the problems facing the world and itself, the US does not and cannot - because it is the problem.

[sinoeurovoices]

EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending

Taking on China’s Belt and Road initiative, EU prioritizes 70 international infrastructure projects. The European Union’s riposte to China’s web of trade and infrastructure projects spanning the globe is finally getting real. Europe’s flagship Global Gateway projects seek to offer developing countries an alternative to China’s strategic largesse in the Belt and Road Initiative, through which…

[der-saisonkoch]

Heute reden wir mal über den angeblichen freien Handel

Heute reden wir mal über den angeblichen freien Handel

Plötzlich, urplötzlich, finden Verbrecher gestohlenes Geld:-)) https://en.mehrnews.com/news/188453/G7-aims-to-raise-600-billion-to-counter-China-s-Belt-Road Die G7 will 600 Milliarden US-Dollar aufbringen, um Chinas Belt, Road entgegenzuwirken TEHERAN, 27. Juni (MNA) – Die Führer der Gruppe der Sieben haben am Sonntag zugesagt, über einen Zeitraum von fünf Jahren 600 Milliarden US-Dollar an…

[sommeregholm86]

BRI In My Eyes | Belt and Road Cooperation in My Eyes

Ethiopia is among the first batch of African countries who signed the "Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation Documents" for jointly building the Belt and Road and China supports the country in playing as a bridge for jointly proceeding the cooperation in Africa. 

The "Belt and Road cooperation" between China and Ethiopia aims to increase mutual benefit and economic integrity through infrastructure development, increasing investment, trade, education, cultural exchange, and tourism between the two countries. Ethiopia needs more infrastructure development for improving its global, regional, and local trade and for improving its economic integration through connecting regional cities and neighboring countries to facilitate its regional and global trade. 

The "Belt and Road cooperation" between China and Ethiopia creates a golden opportunity for Ethiopia through attracting more Chinese investment and mobilizing Chinese construction companies involving in the construction sector and establishing manufacturing industries in Ethiopia. As a result, the "Belt and Road cooperation" between China and Ethiopia has been supporting the Ethiopian economic growth through infrastructure development, regional connectivity, employment opportunity, technology and knowledge transfer, education, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. 

Some of the positive outcomes of the "Belt and Road cooperation" between China and Ethiopia are infrastructure development such as completed Ethio-Djibouti railway construction and big highway construction connecting the capital city with big regional cities such as Addis-Adama and Addis-Awassa highways. The completed Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway system constructed by Chinese companies and financial support connects the main port of Djibouti to Addis Ababa, which contributes over 90 percent of Ethiopian imports and exports.

The other successful results of the "Belt and Road cooperation" in Ethiopia are increasing the inflow of Chinese investment in Ethiopia and the establishment of industrial parks by Chinese companies such as the Eastern Industry Zone, the Huajian Industrial Park developed by Huajian Group in Addis Ababa, and the Arerti Industrial Zone constructed by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), and the Dire Dawa Industrial Park developed by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) in the eastern part of Ethiopia. 

The "Belt and Road cooperation" between China and Ethiopia is expected to create more mutual benefits in cooperation through policy making in infrastructure development, trade, education, tourism, and people-to-people connectivity.

For more information, visit: belt and road initiative map

[thunderstruck9]

Carol Rhodes (British, 1959-2018), Industrial Belt, 2006. Oil on board, 71.5 x 81 cm. National Galleries Scotland