The ‘Silk Road’ Verdict

The ‘Silk Road’ Verdict
Chinese workers at a pier in Qingdao, China, on April 13. The Belt and Road Initiative is supposed to boost trade both by land and by sea. STR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Valentin Schmid
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The idea, at first, sounded good: Plow trillions of dollars into infrastructure projects in the barren wasteland that is most of central Asia, and trade will start to bloom, economies will prosper, and peace will reign. However, most experts believe real world problems will result in the whole idea turning into nothing but a pipe dream.

(VCG/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES)
VCG/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Valentin Schmid
Valentin Schmid
Author
Valentin Schmid is a former business editor for the Epoch Times. His areas of expertise include global macroeconomic trends and financial markets, China, and Bitcoin. Before joining the paper in 2012, he worked as a portfolio manager for BNP Paribas in Amsterdam, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.
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