Weekly News Roundup: Dispatches from the Silk Road Economic Belt

General Electric, China's Silk Road Fund to launch energy investment platform

General Electric Co and a Chinese state fund set up for the Belt and Road trade initiative plan to jointly establish an energy infrastructure investment platform, China’s government said. The announcement came on the sidelines of a state visit to Beijing by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been looking to rev up U.S.-China trade. “The two sides will jointly invest in electric power grids, new energy and oil and gas, in countries and regions along the Belt and Road,” SAFE said. (Reuters)

Syria-China diplomatic relations

As the Syrian government regains control over vast swaths of territory from ISIS and with de-escalation zones now established in four areas across the country, China’s cautious economic approach towards Syria seems to be slowly, but decisively, changing, Fadi Esber writes. The reconstruction of Syria will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and China wants its share of the pie. In July, Beijing announced a US$2 billion dollar plan to build an industrial park in Syria for 150 Chinese companies, although few details about the project were revealed. Then, in August, Chinese companies participated in the 59th Damascus International Fair. That was preceded by a Syria Day Expo organized by the Syrian embassy in Beijing, with hundreds of Chinese specialists in attendance. More revealing, however, about China’s understanding of the situation on the ground – and its intentions to carve out a significant Chinese role in post-conflict Syria – was a recent visit by the Chinese ambassador in Syria to Manin, a small town just north of Damascus. (Asia Times)

Russia, China discuss plans for Harbin-Vladivostok express link
The 380 kilometer project is being costed at US$19 billion. One expert warns, however, that western sanctions Russia may scupper its implementation (atimes)

Opinion: China can cope with any bumps along the way on ‘Belt and Road’
Beijing has long experience dealing with countries involved in its massive trade initiative and the idea that it’s not prepared for problems is misleading, writes Raffaello Pantucci (scmp)
Families of Uyghur Police Officers Among Those Detained in Xinjiang’s KashgarFamily members of ethnic Uyghur security personnel in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, who authorities had previously considered “off limits,” are among those now being detained as part of “stability” measures the officers have been tasked with enforcing, according to sources. (RFA)

China's Xinjiang region closed 112 coal mines by end-October
China's Xinjiang region shut 112 coal mines with an annual capacity of 11.45 million tonnes by the end of October, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday (Nov 12), citing officials from the regional government's energy bureau. (Reuters)


CENTRAL ASIA


Uzbekistan, Tajikistan Power Grids to Reunite in Boon for the Region
In the latest heartening indication of improving energy cooperation in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is pledging to reintegrate its electricity grid with that of Tajikistan.Efforts have over the past decade gone in the other direction, with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan taking the lead in the late 2000s by pulling out of the Soviet-built regional electricity grid. Eso Sadullayev, head of strategic planning at state-run Uzbekenergo, told Uzbek media that Tashkent has already put the required infrastructure into place to reverse that trend. (eurasianet)

Golden Boy Bishimbaev Goes On Trial In Kazakhstan
Though just 37 years old, Kuandyk Bishimbaev has already been Kazakhstan's deputy minister of industry and trade, deputy chairman of the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, chairman of the national holding company Bayterek, and economy minister.But his current title is court defendant, as his trial got under way on November 7.Bishimbaev is accused of accepting bribes when he was head of Bayterek, but there is far more to this story than allegations of an official engaging in corrupt practices. (rferl)

Central Asia corruption

As the investigation into US President Donald Trump’s alleged ties with Russia gains momentum, separate inquiries are being conducted in Europe and the US into a US$2.9 billion Azerbaijani money laundering operation and slush fund that paid off European politicians and financially benefited the country’s ruling elite for two years, Alan Boyd writes. Former Soviet republics have funneled billions of dollars into lobbying activities since the end of the Cold War in an effort to influence the policies of Western governments, including sanctions imposed against their own corrupt actions.