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Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New ‘Silk Road’

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sanman

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China plans to restructure global commerce around itself through a massive effort called the "One Belt, One Road" initiative:

Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New '''Silk Road''' - NBC News

BEIJING — China is aiming to re-create Marco Polo's ancient "Silk Road" that connected Europe to Asia.

But instead of the camels and caravans that transported spices and silk hundreds of years ago, a $1.4 trillion network of modern trading routes would be built.

On Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping will host 28 heads of state at the opening of a two-day summit focusing on the so-called "Belt and Road" initiative.

Analysts suggest the project could shift the center of global economy and challenge the U.S.-led world order.
Click to expand...

China does indeed seek to overturn the US-established world order and replace it with its own China-centric world order that will have China as its economic and political Center of Gravity.

One of the key developments that led to the general ascendancy of the West in the global sphere was the advent of maritime commerce as the dominant form of international trade among nations.

China's sweeping "One Belt, One Road" land corridor may succeed in overturning that, thereby fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power.

Every dominant empire/power/superpower has a life-cycle - a birth, a rise, a plateau, a decline, and a death. The Romans were once a dominant empire, but are no more. The British were once the world's dominant power, but are now middling has-beens. The time may soon be coming where America's reign as the world's dominant superpower is ended.
 
When they set their minds to doing things they get it done unlike this country where we have the congress, the senate, and president all fighting each other.

Maybe we deserve to slip into oblivion?
 
Seems natural that the largest population on the planet would eventually become the largest factor in the planet's economy.
 
Deuce said:
Seems natural that the largest population on the planet would eventually become the largest factor in the planet's economy.
Click to expand...

As it has been at various times in its history. Last time I believe in the early 1800's
 
EnigmaO01 said:
When they set their minds to doing things they get it done unlike this country where we have the congress, the senate, and president all fighting each other.

Maybe we deserve to slip into oblivion?
Click to expand...

I wish the U.S. would splinter off into separate countries so liberals can legislate how they please and conservatives can legislate how they please.
 
For some reason, the Trump Whitehouse has decided to send a delegation to China's OBOR summit in Beijing:

The Most Nixonian Thing Trump Did Today Had Nothing To Do With Comey - Breitbart

I don't think this is a good idea - just like that Asia Development Bank, this project is part of China's effort in sidelining the USA and making it a peripheral player in global geopolitics. Maybe Trump's decided "if you can't beat'em, join'em" but I think this needlessly gives support to something that's going to undermine the USA's power and stature.

America's aircraft carriers are symbols of its power-projection capability precisely for the reason that so much of the world's interactions are dominated by maritime travel. With China's new OBOR thing, then most of the world's trade will quickly be sucked inland, into areas where the USA's ability to project power is badly diminished, such as places like Afghanistan.

I feel like the Chinese are now pursuing a make-it-or-break-it grab for world dominance, to overtake the US and dethrone it in economic & military power. Anytime Putin sneezes, the media are up in arms about it, but meanwhile when it comes to massive events like this OBOR thing which has huge implications, then the stupid Left-wing media are all snoring. People need to wake up and smell the coffee - or they'll wake up one day to find the world has vastly changed right under their noses, with the US having been demoted in global relevance. Once China's power soars through something like this, then how long before it starts nosing into America's home neighborhood?
 
sanman said:
China plans to restructure global commerce around itself through a massive effort called the "One Belt, One Road" initiative:

Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New '''Silk Road''' - NBC News



China does indeed seek to overturn the US-established world order and replace it with its own China-centric world order that will have China as its economic and political Center of Gravity.

One of the key developments that led to the general ascendancy of the West in the global sphere was the advent of maritime commerce as the dominant form of international trade among nations.

China's sweeping "One Belt, One Road" land corridor may succeed in overturning that, thereby fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power.

Every dominant empire/power/superpower has a life-cycle - a birth, a rise, a plateau, a decline, and a death. The Romans were once a dominant empire, but are no more. The British were once the world's dominant power, but are now middling has-beens. The time may soon be coming where America's reign as the world's dominant superpower is ended.
Click to expand...

Establishment politicians like Bush, Obama, and Clinton did everything in their power to help fuel China's rise to global domination. The establishment hates the American middle class so much they'd rather fuel and empower foreigners than do anything for an average American citizen.
 
sanman said:
For some reason, the Trump Whitehouse has decided to send a delegation to China's OBOR summit in Beijing:

The Most Nixonian Thing Trump Did Today Had Nothing To Do With Comey - Breitbart

I don't think this is a good idea - just like that Asia Development Bank, this project is part of China's effort in sidelining the USA and making it a peripheral player in global geopolitics. Maybe Trump's decided "if you can't beat'em, join'em" but I think this needlessly gives support to something that's going to undermine the USA's power and stature.

America's aircraft carriers are symbols of its power-projection capability precisely for the reason that so much of the world's interactions are dominated by maritime travel. With China's new OBOR thing, then most of the world's trade will quickly be sucked inland, into areas where the USA's ability to project power is badly diminished, such as places like Afghanistan.

I feel like the Chinese are now pursuing a make-it-or-break-it grab for world dominance, to overtake the US and dethrone it in economic & military power. Anytime Putin sneezes, the media are up in arms about it, but meanwhile when it comes to massive events like this OBOR thing which has huge implications, then the stupid Left-wing media are all snoring. People need to wake up and smell the coffee - or they'll wake up one day to find the world has vastly changed right under their noses, with the US having been demoted in global relevance. Once China's power soars through something like this, then how long before it starts nosing into America's home neighborhood?
Click to expand...
Liberals are doing what they can to sabotage American prosperity and spread misinformation. The MSM would never report something like this because it would reveal that everything Trump said is true.
 
China's even invited North Korea to attend this "Belt And Road Forum" (BARF) - so much for past promises to help isolate and pressure North Korea:

China says all welcome at Silk Road forum after US complains over North Korea?s attendance | South China Morning Post


This whole project is just a damn stunt cooked up at the last minute by a Beijing leadership driven by fear of a Chinese economic slowdown. For their authoritarian govt, a bad recession or contraction that causes a hard landing for China's bubble economy, could mean a swelling of popular discontent against the regime. Beijing's foreign expansionist policies are ultimately driven by their leaders' fears of swinging from the lamp-post. They're riding the tiger.
 
China has just signed $500M of deals with Pakistan for developing an initial segment of the "One Belt, One Road" program:

https://www.usnews.com/news/technol...00-million-in-china-deals-at-silk-road-summit


I think this OBOR project will lead to some problems down the road, a la EU, when China's underdeveloped partners like Pakistan later pull a Greece, demanding debt restructuring because they can't pay it back. While China grapples with that, they'll be forced into every increasing expansionism to stay afloat in the meantime, like a Ponzi scheme.

Whether it's EU, or OBOR, these too-clever-by-half stunts and schemes have a way of creating new problems.
 
56801734.jpg
 
sanman said:
China plans to restructure global commerce around itself through a massive effort called the "One Belt, One Road" initiative:

Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New '''Silk Road''' - NBC News



China does indeed seek to overturn the US-established world order and replace it with its own China-centric world order that will have China as its economic and political Center of Gravity.

One of the key developments that led to the general ascendancy of the West in the global sphere was the advent of maritime commerce as the dominant form of international trade among nations.

China's sweeping "One Belt, One Road" land corridor may succeed in overturning that, thereby fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power.

Every dominant empire/power/superpower has a life-cycle - a birth, a rise, a plateau, a decline, and a death. The Romans were once a dominant empire, but are no more. The British were once the world's dominant power, but are now middling has-beens. The time may soon be coming where America's reign as the world's dominant superpower is ended.
Click to expand...

The problem is not commerce, per se, but China's mercantilism. If you look back to the cause if the opium wars, it was because China sold tea in exchange for silver from Europe. They were not interested in buying goods and the crown was running out of money due to one-way trade. Eventually, the Brits turned trade the other way: opium for silver.

I'm not convinced China is willing to truty abandon the metcantile system because they are communists, not capitalists. It's all about the party without the slightest regard for market equity or the players in it.

Without that it cannot be successful.
 
N YT points out that all this risky lending by China to countries ranked below investment grade may pose problems down the road for China:


https://nyti.ms/2rc1mKd
 
EnigmaO01 said:
When they set their minds to doing things they get it done unlike this country where we have the congress, the senate, and president all fighting each other.

Maybe we deserve to slip into oblivion?
Click to expand...

Trump is certainly hurrying us along, there is no doubt about that. Even without Trump there is no doubt that China will be an economic powerhouse as more and more of it's people become consumers. It is not all roses though and China will still depend on our market for the foreseeable future. The Chinese Govt. is banking on a "benevolent" dictatorship for their survival in power. It has never been tried on this scale before so whether it will work or not is still a question.
 
chuckiechan said:
The problem is not commerce, per se, but China's mercantilism. If you look back to the cause if the opium wars, it was because China sold tea in exchange for silver from Europe. They were not interested in buying goods and the crown was running out of money due to one-way trade. Eventually, the Brits turned trade the other way: opium for silver.

I'm not convinced China is willing to truty abandon the metcantile system because they are communists, not capitalists. It's all about the party without the slightest regard for market equity or the players in it.

Without that it cannot be successful.
Click to expand...

LOL You don't know that the Chinese have a stock market? The Chinese today are certainly capitalist too, they just are not a democracy.

http://english.sse.com.cn/
 
iguanaman said:
Trump is certainly hurrying us along, there is no doubt about that. Even without Trump there is no doubt that China will be an economic powerhouse as more and more of it's people become consumers. It is not all roses though and China will still depend on our market for the foreseeable future. The Chinese Govt. is banking on a "benevolent" dictatorship for their survival in power. It has never been tried on this scale before so whether it will work or not is still a question.
Click to expand...

What this means is that anytime the "benevolence"(economic growth) slows down, then China's leaders have to worry they'll end up swinging from the lamp-posts. This means that China's leaders have to resort to all kinds of stunts/gimmicks to keep growth up, so that they can stay in power (and stay alive).

Reminds me of that old saying: "Found a horseshoe - now let's go buy a horse!"

China's growth-sustained authoritarianism means stuntsmanship in its dealings with the rest of the world, for the purpose of sustaining growth (and regime-survival).
China's leaders are riding the tiger - and will only reap the whirlwind.
 
Personally...Don't care. :shrug: I would prefer that the US stop sticking its nose everywhere anyways. Power is imo overrated at times.

Besides, what are we going to do to stop this road? Hmm? Nothing. Well...nothing ethical anyways. I guess some of the more less ethical people would attempt to do something. But I'd hope that more ethical people would try and stop such shenanigans.
 
sanman said:
I feel like the Chinese are now pursuing a make-it-or-break-it grab for world dominance, to overtake the US and dethrone it in economic & military power.
Click to expand...
Trump handed more influence to the Chinese when he pulled out of Paris. Beijing and the EU are the world leaders now for climate issues.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Trump handed more influence to the Chinese when he pulled out of Paris. Beijing and the EU are the world leaders now for climate issues.
Click to expand...

Let's not forget about the Trans-Pacific partnership. Trump essentially unchained a Chinese trade machine under the guise of protecting low-skill/low-wage U.S. labor.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Trump handed more influence to the Chinese when he pulled out of Paris. Beijing and the EU are the world leaders now for climate issues.
Click to expand...

Paris gave special concessions to China, whereby they'd only have to start complying by 2030 - meanwhile, the US would be under immediate pressure. It wasn't a fair deal to the US. Leftists talk up their authoritarian friend China, because they see it as a Far Emperor. As we all know, Leftists are always at war with those locally around them - they couldn't give a damn about the planet.

OBOR will involve construction of a variety of greenhouse-producing powerplants in Pakistan and Central Asia. Randomly bringing up Paris won't change that.
 
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