China's Silk Road Illusions
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China's Silk Road Illusions
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Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#2TL;DR it's not like it was in the past.
TL;DR it's not what they promise.
But where is the news in this?
I think the interesting facts are that (a) they still manage to influence countries with their plan (and might for instance gain more influence over Afganistan than both US and Russia have achieved), (b) they still manage to increase internal growth through their projects. Both are really good things for China. That you need to tell a story of historical values with such a big plan is normal and should be expected. Sadly the article doesn't discuss that and instead just focusses on showing the obvious. Also it vastly underestimates the middle east. There's a reason why there's so much fighting in this area. And it's not just oil.
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#3TL;DR it's not like it was in the past. TL;DR it's not what they promise. But where is the news in this? I think the interesting facts are that (a) they still manage to influence countries with their plan (and might for instance gain more influence over Afganistan than both US and Russia have achieved), (b) they still manage to increase internal growth through their projects. Both are really good things for China. Th…
> There's a reason why there's so much fighting in this area. And it's not just oil.
Well, do share that non-oil reason you had in mind there!
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#4TL;DR it's not like it was in the past. TL;DR it's not what they promise. But where is the news in this? I think the interesting facts are that (a) they still manage to influence countries with their plan (and might for instance gain more influence over Afganistan than both US and Russia have achieved), (b) they still manage to increase internal growth through their projects. Both are really good things for China. Th…
> But where is the news in this?
The existence of an interesting article is news enough.
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#5Article is not as negative as its title though.
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#6TL;DR it's not like it was in the past. TL;DR it's not what they promise. But where is the news in this? I think the interesting facts are that (a) they still manage to influence countries with their plan (and might for instance gain more influence over Afganistan than both US and Russia have achieved), (b) they still manage to increase internal growth through their projects. Both are really good things for China. Th…
> There's a reason why there's so much fighting in this area. And it's not just oil. Well, do share that non-oil reason you had in mind there !
As GP said it is easy to underestimate the Middle East because of all the oil. Israel is obviously a high tech powerhouse. Iran alone has over 80 million people. Despite the tense relationship with the US, there are close to 10 thousand postgraduate Iranian students in the US, one of the largest after China and India. https://wenr.wes.org/2017/02/educating-iran-demographics-mas...
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#7Of course such projects have risk. Of course there is historical baggage. But while China is building an infrastructure legacy, the USA et al are using its resources to wages multiple wars.
It's likely the USA's ROI (if you will) will be increased debt and enemies for years to come. China on the other hand seems hardly interested in such things. The outlook for their ROI is much brighter.
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#8TL;DR it's not like it was in the past. TL;DR it's not what they promise. But where is the news in this? I think the interesting facts are that (a) they still manage to influence countries with their plan (and might for instance gain more influence over Afganistan than both US and Russia have achieved), (b) they still manage to increase internal growth through their projects. Both are really good things for China. Th…
> But where is the news in this? The existence of an interesting article is news enough.
While I agree with that sentiment, the idea that large investments are risky is not in itself interesting. What does this add to the conversation?
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#9Of course such projects have risk. Of course there is historical baggage. But while China is building an infrastructure legacy, the USA et al are using its resources to wages multiple wars. It's likely the USA's ROI (if you will) will be increased debt and enemies for years to come. China on the other hand seems hardly interested in such things. The outlook for their ROI is much brighter.
> The outlook for their ROI is much brighter
I agree that American ROI on military spending is negative, though the degree to which this is true is debatable. (The American defense industry doubles as a federal jobs and R&D program.) I do not see how China building an expensive, low-throughput transportation mode that is uncompetitive, even without a traversable Arctic Ocean, is productive.
Re: China's Silk Road Illusions
#10Other than the historical facts, this article is kind of a weird read. The author seems to be guilty of the same thing he's accusing the Chinese president, namely using history to support their version of how this might play out.