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| World’s Longest Rail Route Part of China’s ‘Silk Road’ Revival |
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Setting off on a thirteen-thousand-kilometer journey, thirty containers of consumer goods left the Chinese coastal city of Yiwu in November and arrived in Madrid three weeks later, cutting in half the time the journey would have taken by ship.
It’s due to return laden with Spanish wine and produce in time for Chinese New Year in February.
China wants to improve infrastructure to boost trade, says Jonathan Fenby, author of the book "Will China Dominate the 21st Century?"
"That is a rail link now from Chongqing in southwest China through Russia, which ends in Duisberg in Germany."
Freight rail links now connect Germany and China five times a week, transporting everything from parts for BMW cars to Hewlett Packard computers.
China is investing heavily in European infrastructure.
Premier Li Keqiang attended the opening of a $167 million, Chinese-built bridge over the River Danube in Serbia last month.
His Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, hailed the investment.
Those plans include the construction of a $1.9 billion high speed rail link between Belgrade and Budapest in Hungary, signed off in a ceremony in December.
Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, says the huge investments are part of a new approach to global relations.
China’s 'Silk Road Dream' dance troupe has been performing across south Asia in recent months to highlight China’s vision of re-establishing the old trade routes.
Beijing has pledged $40 billion to improve infrastructure.
The foreign investment drive aims to strengthen Beijing’s presence on the world stage, but it’s also partly enforced by falling domestic growth, says Jonathan Fenby.
"A lot of structural weaknesses in China.
Everything from the financial system to the environment.
And we’re at a point now where I think the present Chinese leadership first of all is ready to accept slower growth.
But also there is an awareness in China of the need to get to grips with all these big problems."
With Europe facing economic stagnation, the Chinese investment has been welcomed, and analysts note that European concerns over human rights and democracy in China are taking a back seat.
Henry Ridgwell for VOA News, London |
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