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Spinning Silk: Asia and the GCC

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Posted: August 7th, 2016

In antiquity, the overland route known as the Silk Road spanned impossible distances, connecting China and the rest of Asia with far flung markets in Africa and Western Europe through the trading hubs of the Middle East. Yet, as Western power rose and Chinese influence waned, this great trade route slowly fell into a state of deep disrepair.

Today, however, Chinese President Xi Jinping is attempting to resurrect the economic artery with a series of trade facilitation and infrastructure projects loosely termed the New Silk Road Initiative – or One Belt, One Road (OBOR). Bolstered by a $40 billion “Silk Road Fund,” as well as funds from the newly minted Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the OBOR is purported to spend nearly $1 trillion on trade and infrastructure investments throughout Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

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