Weekly News Roundup: Dispatches from the Silk Road Economic Belt

India, Japan seek to counter China with AAGC planI

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a proposal for the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) at the annual meeting of the African Development Bank in May, a proposal that won strong support from Japan. We believe that the two countries are trying to counterbalance the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative with the AAGC plan, which China should take seriously and study carefully. (globaltimes)

Can China-India row be the catalyst for a dispute resolution system among top emerging nations?
Months-long stand-off in Doklam shows BRICS bloc needs to find ways to tackle conflict between members, Chinese government adviser says (Scmp)

Pakistan and China discuss Afghanistan after US official snubbed by Islamabad
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary met China’s special envoy on Afghan affairs on Monday, a foreign office spokesman said, a day after Islamabad cancelled a scheduled visit by a top US official. (scmp)

Braving security fears, Chinese seek 'Silk Road' riches in Pakistan

While the first phase of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as the Pakistan leg of this new Silk Road is called, concentrated on infrastructure projects, the second part will focus on setting up special economic zones and integrating Chinese firms into the local economy to help Pakistan develop its industries ranging from mining to agriculture. China has also surged to become by far the biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for Pakistan, topping $1 billion in 2016/17, and is betting on its neighbour at a time when many Western companies are still put off by security concerns and corruption.(reuters)

New Silk Road: Japan To Counteract China In Kazakhstan With New Asia-Europe Rail Deal

Just months after the announcement of a deal that would see China’s COSCO shipping and Lianyungang Port take a 49% cut of Kazakhstan’s epic Khorgos Gateway dry port on the Kazakh/China border, Japan’s Nippon Express logistics firm has signed an MoU with Kazakh Railways (KTZ) to increase the overland flow of container traffic between the Japan / South Korea region and Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe. Nippon Express provides the cargo and KTZ handles the transshipment and processing of the containers through Kazakhstan. (Forbes)

Arctic sea route strengthens Sino-Europe trade bonds

Tianjian, a multi-function cargo ship, loaded with over 36,000 tonnes of machinery, set off from east China's Lianyungang on 31 August. Carrying tunneling machines bound for Russia to be used in subway construction work and wind power equipment heading for Denmark, Tianjian is the third of China's planned six cargo ships to ply the northern route to Europe in 2017. (xinhua)

Cargo train services launched between Weihai and Hamburg
Cargo train services have begun between Weihai, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, and Hamburg, Germany.A train carrying 34 containers departed from Wendeng Railway Station in Weihai at 10 a.m. Saturday, marking inauguration of the service.The weekly service will pass through Mongolia, Russia, Belarus and Poland, covering 11,000 km to arrive in Hamburg. (Xinhua)

The hunt for Red October: how the Bolshevik Revolution turned into a Chinese tourist trap

The 100th anniversary of the October Revolution has triggered a surge of Chinese ‘red tourists’ to Russia, eager to pay homage at the birthplace of communist revolt (scmp)

Towards new horizons of strategic partnership 

Putin: Ahead of the 9th BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen, China, on September 4 and 5, Russian President Putin published an article on his views of the prospects of BRICS future cooperation. In his article titledTowards New Horizons of Strategic Partnership, he wrote, "I consider it important in this regard to present Russia's approaches to cooperation within the framework of this large and respected association and to share my views on the future of our further cooperation." "I would like to begin by expressing our appreciation of China's significant contribution as this year's chair of the organisation, which has allowed the BRICS countries as a group to move forward in all the key areas of our partnership, including politics, the economy and culture. Moreover, the group of five has greatly strengthened its global standing." xinhua (in Chinese) xinhua

Trump’s Great Game

Since the US president announced last week a new plan for Afghanistan that involves a greater role for India in the war-torn country and accused Pakistan of providing “terrorist havens,” Islamabad has been struggling to construct an effective strategy in response, FM Shakil writes. While rejecting accusations that it harbors terrorists, Islamabad knows two things: that it cannot fully abandon support for militant groups because they provide a bulwark against India and that its economy still depends significantly on the US. Analysts predict that Washington’s policy of isolating Pakistan could push it closer to Russia, China, Turkey and Iran, dooming to failure US efforts to help the Afghan government bring stability and peace to the region. (Asia Times)

China, Tajikistan agree to forge comprehensive strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon here on 31 August, agreeing to establish comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Applauding Tajikistan's support for the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said both sides should synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Tajikistan's national development strategy for the period up to 2030. The two countries should cooperate more in transportation, energy, ports and network infrastructure development to improve all-round connectivity, Xi said. China and Tajikistan agreed to jointly launch cross-border railway, road and natural gas pipeline projects, and explore cooperation in wind and solar energy, according to the joint statement.(xinhua)

Ghost cities haunt stability dream in China’s far west

Several ambitious projects around Kashgar have stagnated despite government plans to put Xinjiang’s economy on a par with the rest of the nation (scmp)

Nepal and China fast track rail link in aftermath of Sino-Indian border row

China and Nepal agreed on Thursday to ramp up plans for a cross-border railway amid public assurances from China that Beijing would work hard to avoid conflict with New Delhi.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said Beijing hoped Nepal could be a bridge between China and India, following a bitter border stand-off between the two Asian heavyweights. (scmp)