SHANNON: A PORT IN ITALY, A TRAIN STATION IN SRI LANKA, AN INDUSTRIAL PARK IN UZBEKISTAN. BUT GET THISโTHEYโRE ALL A PART OF CHINA.
CHINAโS NEW SILK ROAD, THAT IS.
ITS OFFICIAL NAME?
THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE.
A 900 BILLION DOLLAR UNDERTAKING TO BUILD PORTS, RAILWAYS, ROADS, AIRPORTS, POWER GRIDS AND ECONOMIC HUBS IN MORE THAN 60 COUNTRIES.
HEREโS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND THE COUNTRIES IT WOULD CONNECT.
CHINA IS ALREADY THE GLOBAL GIANT WHEN IT COMES TO MANUFACTURING, IT PRODUCES NEARLY A THIRD OF THE WORLDโS GOODS, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM.
THIS NEW SILK ROAD WOULD OPEN UP EVEN MORE MARKETS FOR GOODS FROM CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES AND MAKE SHIPPING THEM FASTER AND CHEAPER.
ITโS NOT JUST HUGE FOR CHINA.
HE WORLD BANK SAYS, WHEN ITโS DONE, THE PROJECT WILL LIFT NEARLY 40 MILLION PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY.
BUT SOME CONSERVATIVES LIKE U-S SENATOR RICK SCOTT OF FLORIDA ARE WORRIED.
HE SAYS THE REAL GOAL FOR CHINA IS โTO EXTEND ITS CONTROL OVER OTHER NATIONS AND ADVANCE ITโS QUEST FOR WORLD DOMINATION.โ
SOUND FAMILIAR?
IF YOUโVE BEEN WATCHING NETFLIX LATELY,ย YOU KNOW ABOUT MARCO POLO โ HEโS THE ONE WHO MADE THE ORIGINAL GREAT SILK ROAD FAMOUS.
IT CONNECTED TRADE ROUTES FROM CHINA TO EUROPE MORE THAN 800 YEARS AGO.
TO GET THE NEW SILK ROAD DONE, CHINA IS OFFERING COUNTRIES CHEAP LOANS TO PAY FOR THE WORK.
BUT CRITICS SAYโTHATโS EXACTLY THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM.
BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IF COUNTRIES CANโT PAY BACK CHINA?
WHEN SRI LANKA COULDNโT AFFORD TO MAINTAIN THEIR CHINESE-BUILT PORT โ THEY LEASED IT TO CHINA FOR 99 YEARS.
NOW, SOME WORRY IT COULD BECOME A CHINESE NAVAL HUB–MEANING THE SILK ROAD COULD POSE NOT JUST AN ECONOMIC ISSUE, BUT A SECURITY ISSUE TOO.
WHEN ITALY JOINED THE PROJECT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO SAID THIS: โTHE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS TRYING TO LEVERAGE ITS ECONOMIC PRESENCE IN ITALY TO SERVE ITS OWN STRATEGIC PURPOSESโ
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED, AND WHERE THEYโRE LOCATED.
WEโRE TALKING ABOUT MORE THAN HALF THE WORLDโS POPULATION AND A THIRD OF THE GLOBAL GDP, ACCORDING TO THE MCKINSEY CONSULTING GROUP.
COULD ANYTHING SLOW DOWN CHINAโS PLAN?
AUSTRALIA RECENTLY BACKED OUT OF THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE.
AND THE U-S AND MOST OF THE G-7 IS LOOKING TO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE, CALLED THE โBLUE DOTย PROGRAM.โ
JEFF SMITH: โWE MAY NOT BE ABLE TOย MATCH THE CHINESEย INVESTMENT FORย INVESTMENT. BUT WE CANย MAKE SURE THAT THEY’REย NOT ALWAYS THE ONLYย GAME IN TOWN.โ
SO, IS THE SILK ROAD SIMPLY A POWER PLAY FOR CHINA?
EVEN CONSERVATIVES SAY THE ANSWER ISNโT BLACK AND WHITE.
JEFF SMITH: โJUST BECAUSE THEREย ARE ISSUES THATย CONCERN US ABOUTย THE BELT AND ROADย DOESNโT MEAN ITโSย INCAPABLE OFย PRODUCING ANYย BENEFIT.โ
OKAY, A LITTLE COMPLICATED.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?
LET US KNOW WITH THE BIAS METER AND IN THE COMMENTS.