The Belt and Road; As the West Slumbers, China Advances

In the short time since it was announced as a new initiative by President Xi Jinping of China in 2013, the "Belt and Road Initiative" has grown to be home to the largest piece of economic infrastructure in human history. We examined this project in a video entitled "One Belt One Road" in 2019, but I think it is worth seeing what has happened since.

In September 2021, The Silk Road Briefing paper reported that the value of projects built to support the trading network totalled over $4 trillion U.S. While China was gaining partner after partner in this unique economic relationship, many Western governments were absorbed with linking trading relations to various social policies geared to alter the social, moral and cultural values of nations, and adherence to them a prerequisite to continued or expanded economic activity. The result has been that many non-Western or developing economies opted instead to join the Belt and Road, which carried with it no demand to replace their culture with very liberal Western ideas.

Consequently, as of 2022, 147 nations have become a Belt and Road partner, representing a majority of the world's population. The members are now a global cooperative:

• Sub Saharan Africa — 43 nations
• North Africa and the Middle East — 18 nations
• Europe and Central Asia — 35 nations
• East Asia and Pacific — 25 nations
• South East Asia — 6 nations
• Latin America and Caribbean — 20 nations

One of the latest newcomers to the Belt and Road is Argentina. It seeks to deepen economic relations with Beijing and the other participants, thus addressing foreign income shortages through enhanced trade, enabling export of raw materials and agriculture projects, as well as improving foreign investment. Argentina's joining means nearly all major economies of South America are now BRI nations.

We see the same story being played out in Africa with the majority being BRI partners. A significant step in this process occurred in November 2022, with the opening of the new gateway to Africa. An agreement was signed to start the development of a new super port at Bagamoyo in Tanzania. The planned size is breathtaking. The Asia Times (Nov 9, 2022) reported that this new facility will be:

"…'the most significant construction project in the last four decades of Chinese-Tanzanian relations,' with a capacity to handle 20 million cargo containers per year. Hence… more efficient than Europe's biggest port in Rotterdam." (Tanzania is China's gateway to Africa – Asia Times)

Tanzania, in a very short time, will be home to a port larger than any in Europe. It will be the BRI gateway to twelve resource rich, landlocked nations in Africa with a combined population of 300 million. It will be an export exit for billions of dollars of resources and an entrance for Chinese goods.

The BRI now consists of a massive number of facilities including super ports, tens of thousands of miles of rail and roads, as well as pipelines between all continents except North America.

There are those who may point to the debt incurred by China and its partners to date, but it must be remembered this was the stage of infrastructure development. That investment is tapering off, but this is to be expected as projects near completion. The Silk Road Briefing (2021) points this out:

"…the China Development Bank and the Export Import Bank – have already started to reduce new loans … This is partially because the massive original infrastructure spend is now coming to project conclusion, and the funding and build is now complete, or nearly so – one reason that Silk Road Briefing now highlights projects that are coming to fruition and may now be exploited for commercial use." (China Belt And Road Projects Value Now Exceeds US$4 Trillion – www.silkroadbriefing.com)

China and its partners are now planning to move from investment to return on investment, as employment is generated and the reciprocal market potential is realized. From the Chinese perspective, the project is now moving from the development of partnerships and infrastructure to one of a sustained "Global Development Project", which is becoming its new moniker. China and its partners are now planning to move from investment to return on investment, as employment is generated and the reciprocal market potential is realized. From the Chinese perspective, the project is now moving from the development of partnerships and infrastructure to one of a sustained "Global Development Project", which is becoming its new moniker.

The fact that to date 147 nations from at least four continents have bought into this massive undertaking means they have hopes that it can assist in generating increased prosperity, while not demanding social or political change.

Sadly, many of the partners see the Belt and Road as preferable to that which is offered by nations of the West. They see the latter as requiring change to the social, moral and societal norms of centuries, often with demands that Western styles of governance be implemented.

Clearly the majority of nations are choosing a non-Western alternative, and may even soon adopt a non-Western currency of exchange.

It might be wise for Western leaders to consider that if they had been more respectful, things may be different today—as they watch resource-rich areas and developing markets chose a non-Western alternative. Maybe we of the West could have been a better example, maybe we still could.

Two millennia ago one of the greatest scholars of his day wrote down some advice, which if it had been followed would have resulted in a different view of the West, and would have been very good for business:

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3–4).