Weekly News Roundup: Dispatches from the Silk Road Economic Belt

Horgos: The First New City Of The New Silk Road Emerges As A Robot Manufacturing Hub

In the spring of 2015 I found myself walking through the streets of Horgos, a place on the Chinese side of the China/ Kazakhstan border that has recently reemerged as the first new city of the New Silk Road. Although its history extends back to the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) and it was once a stop on the ancient Silk Road, the modern city of Horgos at that point wasn’t even a year old. The initial wave of construction was just getting going there, and the only thing the place really had was a struggling cross-border duty free zone, the full support of Beijing, and little else. (Forbes)

China to promote PPP model in Belt and Road Initiative
China will spread public-private partnerships (PPP) in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, a senior official has said. He Lifeng, deputy head of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made the remarks on the 14 of January at the 15th China Enterprise Development Forum. The NDRC, China's top economic planner, and several other departments, have come up with a working mechanism to boost the PPP model in countries along the routes, according to He, without providing further details. Xinhua ChinaDaily

2 Days From China To Europe By Rail? Russia Going For High-Speed Cargo Trains
I’ve written extensively about the emerging network of trans-Eurasian direct cargo trains that is rapidly linking together dozens of cities in China and Europe. I often boast that these trains can make this 9,000-12,000 kilometer journey in less than two weeks — and sometimes in as little as 10.5 days. Then a reader named Tony Restall left a comment on an article about the new train from the east of China to London and taunted:“12,000 kms in 16 days — seems like the Slow Train from China.”
He then did the math which showed that if these trains were to travel around the clock, their average speed would only equate to 30-40 kilometers per hour. (Forbes)

Beijing Spins a Web of Chinese Infrastructure:‘New Silk Road’ projects keep the spirit of globalization alive
As the U.S., U.K. and others hit pause on globalization, China is flexing its economic muscle with an ambitious infrastructure-building spree that would connect up to a third of the world’s people.
In recent years, Beijing has set up a range of institutions and groupings that are being mobilized to promote China’s interests—from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to separate regional development investment forums from Latin America and the Middle East to Central and Eastern Europe. (WSJ)

Silk Road route back in business as China train rolls into London

When the East Wind locomotive rumbles into east London this week, it will be at the head of 34 carriages full of socks, bags and wallets for London’s tourist souvenir shops, as well as the dust and grime accumulated through eight countries and 7,456 miles. The train will be the first to make the 16-day journey from Yiwu in west China to Britain, reviving the ancient trading Silk Road route and shunting in a new era of UK-China relations.(Guardian)

China to invest $35 billion in Xinjiang roads

China plans to invest about 170 billion yuan (S$35 billion) in roads in the conflict-prone far western region of Xinjiang, the official China Daily reported on Wednesday (Jan 180). China will also invest 8.1 billion yuan in constructing railways and 4.8 billion yuan in civil aviation projects, both up 50 per cent from last year, the paper reported Zhang Chunlin, director of the Xinjiang Development and Reform Commission saying. The plan to build 6,000 km of highways will start this year and once completed may reduce logistics costs in the region by 30 per cent, said Zhang. (Reuters)

AIIB’s first year shows efficiency

The first China-initiated multilateral bank has approved funding for more projects thanexpected just one year after it was launched, a demonstration of China's capability toreshape existing international financial institutions, experts said. So far the bank has approved nine projects totaling $1.73 billion, according to an e-mailthe bank sent to the Global Times late Sunday night. The projects are intended to promotegreen infrastructure and have also prioritized cross-border projects ranging from roads toenergy pipelines across Asia. Usually an infrastructure project funded by the World Bank (WB) or the AsiaDevelopment Bank (ADB) takes three to five years from proposal to approval, but the AIIB has signed off on more than expected, which reflects its efficiency, said Zhou Qiangwu, director general of the International Economics and Finance Institute, a think tank underthe Ministry of Finance. (People's Daily)

Polish Defense Minister Sees China's New Silk Road as National Threat
Citing national security threats, Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz banned the construction of a railway terminal in the city of Lodz which was due to be used for China's New Silk Road, Polish expert Cezary Kalita told Sputnik Poland. (Sputnik)


CENTRAL ASIA

A Resistance to Reform in Uzbekistan

A month into his first official term, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has found his efforts to change some of the country's policies thwarted by rivalries among powerful clans and political factions. Pressure from Uzbekistan's security services, headed by clan rival Rustam Inoyatov, has already forced the new president to reverse a visa liberalization policy announced on Jan. 9. The extent to which Mirziyoyev, who has served as president since longtime leader Islam Karimov died in September, can implement reforms will depend on his ability to balance the country's more conservative power bases. (Stratfor)

An Uzbek Transition for Kazakhstan?

When the time comes, can a post-Nazarbayev Astana model Uzbekistan’s smooth transfer of power? (The Diplomat)