The Taliban just announced that China will be their gateway to international markets along the One Belt One Road Initiative.
President Xi of China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 ostensibly as a tool of logistics investment into the greater Eurasian sphere. The project is sometimes called “The New Silk Road”, in honor of the ancient 4,000-mile trade routes between China and Europe.
The BRI is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organizations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.
It is estimated that Chinese sources of capital have allocated more than a trillion dollars (USD) to BRI at the behest of Xi. Almost all of that CapEx is earmarked for lending against logistics infrastructure buildout/renovation throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa.
For the way China views infrastructure: Everything is dual purpose. It may serve private interests, but it will always serve the state’s. The Western separation of state and industry is more fluid and complex, often resulting in competing interests. Infrastructure is referencing systems of transport, as well as food, water, and energy production.
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