China's Westward One Belt One Road Strategy

dug out Sep 2, 2018
I've noticed about Hambantota takeover some time ago; actually
Dec 9, 2017

I wait to see if it's kinda exception, or if it'll become a part of the Chinese 'string of pearls', which would be the case if soon China got for example Mombasa, Kenya

soon = two years from now, OK?

it's similar to what I think about the Chinese buildup in the SCS:
Jun 5, 2018

time will tell
after I had read
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Will China seize prized port if Kenya can’t pay back its belt and road loans?

  • Kenyan president strongly denies port at risk of being seized
  • Report again raises questions about the risks for countries borrowing from China for infrastructure projects
 
now I read
19:55, 10-Feb-2019
Botswanan minister rejects debt trap allegation against China
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Botswana's Finance and Economic Development Minister Kenneth Matambo said on Saturday that the southern African country will pursue external funding instruments, especially those from China.

Further fending off accusations that China is setting a debt trap for developing countries in Africa, including Botswana, during a press conference in Francistown, Botswana's second largest city, Matambo said Botswana does not have a problem with China.

"We do not have a problem with China at all," said the minister. "We have dealt with China before and we know what we are doing as a government."

Botswana and China have strong bilateral relations and there is no way the world's second-largest economy will set a debt trap for Botswana, Matambo added.

Dumelang Saleshando, leader of Botswana's main opposition political party, Botswana Congress Party (BCP), suggested earlier that the President Mokgweetsi Masisi administration should exhaust local capital space before pursuing external funding instruments from China and international financial institutions.

According to Matambo, Botswana takes all the necessary precautionary measures before embarking on external resources.

China agreed to extend a loan to Botswana for rail and road infrastructure on the sidelines of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) last September.

The loan is expected to be used for improving road connectivity in the northern part of the country so as to better promote the development of tourist attraction areas.
 

advill

Junior Member
In business & investment, BOTH parties involved should come to an agreement after careful considerations by their respective business & national leaders. There are usually high risks for the investors, as any BIG projects not carefully examined could suffer serious losses. Several ignorant politicians may not understand the problems that can arise for defaults in projects. When 2 parties are facing difficulties or suspicions in any project, let the un-bias Mediators be called upon to help solve problems/difficulties. IBR (Overland) and Maritime IBR can bring about benefits when properly executed, especially now in the face of current threats to Global Trade & Investments.
 

Equation

Lieutenant General
In business & investment, BOTH parties involved should come to an agreement after careful considerations by their respective business & national leaders. There are usually high risks for the investors, as any BIG projects not carefully examined could suffer serious losses. Several ignorant politicians may not understand the problems that can arise for defaults in projects. When 2 parties are facing difficulties or suspicions in any project, let the un-bias Mediators be called upon to help solve problems/difficulties. IBR (Overland) and Maritime IBR can bring about benefits when properly executed, especially now in the face of current threats to Global Trade & Investments.
Yeah right like "un bias Mediators" exist this world when it comes whatever China is doing to upset the current status quo. The two parties DID already agreed to the investments and went over it carefully long before the West even care to know what China Belt and Road Initiative even means.:rolleyes:
 
now noticed the tweet
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Saudi Arabia will include Chinese language in the curriculum at all education levels in the Kingdom to strengthen friendship and cooperation with China, Saudi media reported on Friday.

D0OFKSpUcAE5EJs.jpg
 
Here's some good news for eastern Europe. For Belarus at least.

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Weekly service for Geely automotive parts China-Belarus
Published on 27-02-2019 at 08:00
JSC RZD Logistics launched a weekly rail freight service transporting knock-down kits of automotive manufacturer Geely. The goods are delivered from Chengdu in China to the BelGee assembly factory in Belarus. The first train is already on track.


The first four container trains with the kits departed in accordance with a schedule especially developed for this project. It follows a direct route, from Chengdu through Mongolia (Zamyn-Uud border crossing), through Russia (Naushki border crossing) and Belarus (Krasnoye border crossing). After a journey of fourteen days, the trains are expected to arrive at the terminal in Zhodino.

50 trains in 2019
In total, fifty container trains are expected to depart by the end of 2019, with regularity one train a week, RZD Logistics said. Currently RZD Logistics is looking into the opportunity to organise similar shipments to Belarus from other Geely factories in China.

“We see the interest of automobile manufacturers and dealers in railway delivery and put emphasis on the development of this area of logistics business. Transportation of knock-down kits in accelerated container train from China to Belarus is three times faster than sea delivery, which allows us to count on switching the volumes from the functioning sea route to rail. This year we not only plan to follow the delivery schedule, but will also work actively on the geographic expansion of Geely products’ shipments from China”, noted the CEO of RZD Logistics Viacheslav Valentik.
 
and also for Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan moves more cargo by rail to China in 2018
Published on 11-02-2019 at 10:58
Railway traffic between Kazakhstan and China saw a major rise in 2018. Especially eastbound traffic increased significantly, with more than 50 per cent. This is a positive milestone for Eurasian railway traffic, which has seen the majority of traffic in westward direction.

According to national railway company Kazakh Temir Zholly (KTZ), the rail freight volumes between Kazakhstan and China amounted to 13,979 tonnes last year, which indicated an increase by 38 per cent compared to 2017. Some 8,500 tonnes of cargo were transported from Kazakhstan to China, which is 54 per cent more than in 2017.

Grain, oil and gas pipes
Kazakh and Chinese railway administrations have projected traffic volumes of more than 15,700 tonnes of cargo in 2019. They also made arrangements for the transport of grain and oil between the countries. Grain cargo will be moved in big bags and specialised wagon trucks with rearrangement wheelsets. The route leads through both the Alashankou and Khorgos border crossings, KZT reported.

Vegetable oil will be moved in tank cars of up to 500,000 tonnes, from Kazakhstan and Russia to China through the Alashankou-Dostyk border crossing. The carriages will be rearranged at the Dostyk station, the railway company said. Starting from this month, the countries will also see the rail transport of gas pipes.

Total volume
The general rail freight volumes in the central Asian country grew with 11 million tonnes to 283 million tonnes in 2018, reported Kazakh Temir Zholly. Six per cent of the total transport volumes was on transit; this adds up to 17 million tonnes of cargo, 10 per cent more than a year earlier. KZT transported fifty per cent of the total cargo.

Kazakhstan counts more than 20 thousand kilometres of railway track. Last year, more than thousand kilometres of track was upgraded. As a result of these works the strength and quality of the railway is increasing, the railway company pointed out.
 

supercat

Major
Italy takes a chance on Belt and Road
Attending the first Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in 2017, the previous Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni stopped short of signing up to join the global mega-project, as no other European Union country had shown interest. However, a lot has changed since Italy’s populist right-wing government took over last June, and Rome has formally announced that it will participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) after three high-level visits to Beijing

As a country that connects Europe and Africa, Italy is on its way to becoming a prime BRI destination, which will decisively put the contemporary version of the old Silk Road on the ground. In 2018, the EU announced an
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of its own, the “EU Corridor,” as a suitable alternative. Setting aside this option, Rome is determined to participate in the Chinese mega-project instead. Engaged in preliminary negotiations, Rome is about to clinch a deal with Beijing and sign some memoranda of understanding during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Italy at the end of March.

Confirming reports in the media, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has
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he will also attend the second BRI Summit next month. However, he stressed that EU trade standards would have to be applied and agreed upon by China as this was one of the main reasons the European Union had opted out. Highlighting the importance of Italy’s decision, Conte has described it as a “strategic choice for the country … and such choices need coordinating with traditional partners. Dialogue with the United States, for example, is constant.”

At this point in time, the US does not welcome the prospect, as it is waging a trade war with China. The latest controversy is regarding Chinese technology company Huawei and its role in bringing about a 5G (fifth-generation) telecommunications revolution in other countries. As expected, Washington warned Rome that joining the BRI could significantly damage its global reputation without helping its economy. Implying that the project is beneficial only for Beijing, US National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis
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, “We view BRI as a ‘made by China, for China’ initiative.” But the main fear may be that Italian ports are at risk because of the confidential terms that usually define Chinese investment.

The Port of Trieste in northeastern Italy is being described as the Chinese gateway to Europe in the New Silk Road, as it is one of the biggest maritime hubs in the Mediterranean. Trieste moved
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of goods last year and it promises to become a central connection for Eurasia as a deal is coming through between the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the main builder involved in BRI projects, and the Trieste Port Authority. Another important destination for Beijing is the Sicilian city of Palermo, as it is close to the African continent. In the meantime, a new company is being created in partnership with the Chinese state-run shipping company COSCO to run the Port of
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.

Ports are a main priority for the BRI as it comprises roads and maritime links. The EU is concerned about whether the contract terms of any of the Italian ports will be mentioned in the MOUs being signed by Rome and Beijing in the coming weeks. In the past, details of such contracts with other BRI countries have been unclear. Having welcomed Chinese investment, Greece’s largest seaport of Piraeus is now operated by COSCO. Resisting China’s economic influence as a result, many of the EU states are mulling over screening measures to streamline and limit Chinese investment in the region.

Most of all, Italy could face a fierce backlash from the West due to suspicions about China’s geopolitical ambitions. Significantly, Italy will be the first Group of Seven member to help China establish a permanent presence in Western Europe. Undoubtedly, this is a major win for China, which has always emphasized that the BRI is a global project but failed to get a welcoming response outside Asia. Being the world’s eighth-largest economy and a European country, Italy’s partnership in the BRI will finally elevate it to the rank of a truly global project and take it to the next level. Where Beijing is concerned, this is a perfect win-win situation as the BRI is an official part of China’s constitution and foreign policy.

Last week, it was also
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that Italy was looking into seeking funding from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. According to an EU
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, “The potential involvement of the AIIB in the BRI in Italy is a game changer. Without the AIIB’s involvement in lending to projects, it would be difficult for the BRI to fly in a key EU member state.”

Italy had to concentrate on reviving its faltering economy as it fell into recession last year for the third time in a decade. In return for becoming a “BRI country,” Rome wants a good chunk of investment and a boost in exports to improve its financial standing. Other EU countries have excellent trade links with China, with German exports to that country alone worth €93.8 billion (US$106 billion) last year. In comparison, Italy’s exports to China totaled just
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in 2018 and it is feeling left out.

Stressing that Italy remains part of the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an Italian Economic Development Ministry official,
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, recently observed, “We are in no way tilting the geopolitical axis.” However, the fact remains that Italy has opted to abstain from the EU vote taken this month to scrutinize foreign investment in Europe, since it has decided to take a chance on the world’s biggest mega-project.

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