The Great Game Changer: Belt and Road Intiative (BRI; OBOR)

[cirr]

Jiangxi opens China-Europe freight train

2017-06-01 17:10:39(Beijing Time) Xinhua

NANCHANG, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The Ganzhou port in east China's Jiangxi Province opened its first China-Europe freight train on Thursday.

The cargo trains will carry Russian timber to Ganzhou and then return to Kyrgyzstan loaded with furniture.

The new route is expected to build Ganzhou into a port for international timber trade, local officials said.

China opened its first trans-continental freight train route in July 2013. Several Chinese cities, including Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei, Yiwu, Suzhou and Harbin, have already launched similar freight train services to Europe.

In 2016, the number of China-Europe freight trains surpassed 1,700, including 1,130 outbound trains and 572 inbound trains, an increase of 109 percent year on year.

Chinese Premier Li holds talks with German Chancellor Merkel in Berlin

China's submersible Jiaolong conducts 5th dive in Mariana Trench

Hong Kong's 20th return anniversary to be celebrated on July 1

Kenya launches flagship standard gauge railway set to transform nation

Cheongsam show held at Sanshuiwan scenic spot in Taizhou City

In pics: Amboseli National Park in Kenya

In pics: outdoor cultural performance given by Ulanmuqi in N China

Water park attracts many citizens in SW China's Chongqing

http://english.sina.com/news/2017-06-01/detail-ifyfuzym7569383.shtml

 

[JSCh]

Deutsche Bank eyes US$3B B&R bonanza
China Daily, June 1, 2017

Deutsche Bank AG, Germany's largest lender, said on Wednesday that it plans to finance US$3 billion worth of projects in partnership with the China Development Bank in the countries and regions taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The CDB and Deutsche Bank agreed to work together over the next five years to support the projects. The move will make Deutsche Bank one of the first global lenders to participate in the initiative.

The two parties also agreed to establish a joint team to cooperate on projects promoting the initiative, including joint lending and project finance that are beneficial to the clients of both lenders.

Garth Ritchie, head of Deutsche Bank's corporate & investment bank, said expanding infrastructure links between China and Europe is a positive opportunity for the peoples and economies of both sides.

The CDB has lent a combined US$160 billion to projects in countries and regions taking part in the Belt & Road Initiative, supporting infrastructure, social welfare and public utility projects, according to the lender.

"We insisted that the projects we finance must be sustainable, and we only operate those in mature conditions. Lending to these projects must be in alignment with the ideas of inclusive lending and supporting green economic growth," said Hu Huaibang, chairman of the CDB.

Xi Junyang, a professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said that financial institutions play a significant role in supporting projects in Belt and Road economies, and foreign banks which operate in China and have established a global market presence are likely to use their global networks to play a role in this.

"Global lenders which have expertise in cross-market financing, investment and management may see financing projects in countries and regions taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative as a new growth opportunity," said Xi.

German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Deutsche Bank is also seeking approval to issue renminbi-denominated bonds in China's bond market, which are widely known as Panda Bonds and are yuan-denominated bonds issued by qualified foreign capital institutions in the Chinese market.

According to a report by German foreign trade and investment authorities, the number of Chinese investment projects in Germany grew from 190 in 2015 to 281 in 2016, making China the country with most investment projects in Germany for three consecutive years.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Sun Jiwen said that Chinese investment in Germany totaled 11 billion euros (US$12.03 billion), about 1 percent of all foreign investment, which shows that Chinese investment in Germany is still at an early stage and has great growth potential.

 

[cirr]

Also opened in the past couple of days are freight train routes from Harbin to Minsk and Changsha to Budapest。

 

[cirr]

Xinjiang exports liquid chemical to Europe via freight train
ECNS App Download
A freight train loaded with 2,000 tonnes of liquid chemical departed Friday from Korla city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the German city of Ludwigshafen.

It is the first time that Xinjiang has exported liquid chemical to Europe via the China-Europe freight train route.

The train carried 82 tank containers of BDO, a liquid chemical mainly used as a solvent in the manufacture of plastics, medicine and cosmetics. It will reach Ludwigshafen in 15 days, after traversing Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.

The trans-continental freight train route has become increasingly popular since it was launched in July 2013.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/05-27/259345.shtml

Wuhan exports cultural products to Europe via freight train

Xinhua, May 27, 2017

A freight train loaded with cultural items, including paintings and calligraphy brushes, is heading to the German city of Gottingen after leaving Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province.

It was the first time that such items have been exported from Wuhan to Europe via the China-Europe freight train route.

The train carried two containers loaded with over 2,000 items such as incense burners and wooden furniture. It will reach Gottingen in 15 days after crossing Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

Previously, such products were exported via air or sea freight, with higher costs and longer travel time respectively.

Since it was launched in July 2013, the trans-continental freight train routes have been extended due to increased demand. China now has express freight services to 28 European cities.

http://china.org.cn/arts/2017-05/27/content_40907814.htm

@AndrewJin

 

[MultaniGuy]

CPEC is indeed a game changer.

 

[JSCh]

New Silk Road Oil & Gas Company launches gas production project in Bukhara region
01 June 2017 12:01

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 31 May, New Silk Road Oil & Gas Company, an Uzbek-Chinese joint venture, started a project on development of Khojasayat gas condensate field in Bukhara region of Uzbekistan.

In accordance with the feasibility study of the project, it is planned to drill 16 production wells on the licensed area.

Once the project reaches its designed capacity, the venture will produce 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 6,500 tonnes of gas condensate a year.

New Silk Road Oil & Gas Company is a joint venture of Uzbekneftegaz of Uzbekistan and CNODC of China.

In September 2013, Uzbekneftegaz and CNODC established the company on a parity basis for additional exploration and development of the Karakul investment block.

The raw material base of the JV will be fields discovered during geological exploration, carried out by the CNODC in the oil and gas areas of Uzbekistan.

The production of gas at the Karakul investment block in Bukhara region is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2017.

The cost of the project is US$377.5 million. The project will be financed due to resources of the joint venture funds, as well as Chinese loans under the guarantee of CNPC.

China’s China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC), XIBU Drilling Engineering Company Ltd and China National Logging Corporation are determined as the contractors of the project in the result of organized tenders.


UzDaily.com: New Silk Road Oil & Gas Company launches gas production project in Bukhara region

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

I remember watching a video on YouTube where the narrator showed pictures of Mao meeting members of the cabal you were talking about (can't remember their exact names but they were revealed to be Zionists) as the premise of this video is to prove that revolutions are one method of said cabal to fulfil their aims.

I'll be damned if this is all true, though.

My friend,

You and my good friend @Götterdämmerung were having a good discussion..and I wasn't even invited to the party. Me sad!

Anyhow, to dissect the global empire is easy and most difficult at the same time. Let us for now call it an entity loyal only to its own goals... the slow death of Western Civilisation might and might not be its agenda. Appears to be...

Let us wait for our friend @Götterdämmerung to return then we can have a go at it.

My sense is that issuance of money is political act. Any country who has sovereignity on issuance of money is free of sorts.. Let us see which ones?

We must treat the entity with respect though... you both understand what is meant here!

Take care,

SPF

 

[LowPost]

My friend,

You and my good friend @Götterdämmerung were having a good discussion..and I wasn't even invited to the party. Me sad!

Anyhow, to dissect the global empire is easy and most difficult at the same time. Let us for now call it an entity loyal only to its own goals... the slow death of Western Civilisation might and might not be its agenda. Appears to be...

Let us wait for our friend @Götterdämmerung to return then we can have a go at it.

My sense is that issuance of money is political act. Any country who has sovereignity on issuance of money is free of sorts.. Let us see which ones?

We must treat the entity with respect though... you both understand what is meant here!

Take care,

SPF

I wasn't aware you are actually familiar with the topics discussed, so apologies for that. But better late than never, right?

 

[China and Pakistan]

Rumour is a lying jade

 

[NoOne'sBoy]

Chinese have to start getting combat experience from somewhere otherwise their huge military would be useless if it can't be used to protect Chinese interests overseas.

 

[Götterdämmerung]

My friend,

You and my good friend @Götterdämmerung were having a good discussion..and I wasn't even invited to the party. Me sad!

Anyhow, to dissect the global empire is easy and most difficult at the same time. Let us for now call it an entity loyal only to its own goals... the slow death of Western Civilisation might and might not be its agenda. Appears to be...

Let us wait for our friend @Götterdämmerung to return then we can have a go at it.

My sense is that issuance of money is political act. Any country who has sovereignity on issuance of money is free of sorts.. Let us see which ones?

We must treat the entity with respect though... you both understand what is meant here!

Take care,

SPF

The transatlanticists have infiltrated this forum. Well, since my life does not depend on handouts of the deep state, I will of course not shit up to call a spade a spade.

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

The transatlanticists have infiltrated this forum. Well, since my life does not depend on handouts of the deep state, I will of course not shit up to call a spade a spade.

Ah, my friend,

Understood. Happy to see you back! @Arryn ready when you are.

My question stands: What is a Human?

Without agreeing on a shared description... all discussion becomes accedemic... such a defintion helps to form a context and guage with which to measure our existential scorecard.

From democracy to real freedom to availability of knowledge or lack thereof...

I know both of you are Thinking persons so let us try some Original Thinking.

Looking forward to your views,


SPF

 

[Banglar Bir]

Malaysia an ‘Important Node’ in OBOR
Geo politically, Malaysia is trying to seek a balance between the two big powers the United States and China. Malaysia is getting involved in OBOR parallel enjoying the status as a member of TPP, a US-led trade agreement.
Saadat Hassan Bilal -

Malaysia’s geographical location, status as an influential middle power and its substantial coordination and implementation structures multiplies its importance to the node of Chinese, One Belt One Road. Geographically positioned between Thailand and Singapore, Malaysia is a useful connector in China’s broader infrastructure plans which include a high-speed railway Beijing envisions would eventually run from Kunming, China down to Laos and Thailand and onwards to Malaysia and Singapore.

For two reasons Malaysia is significant to OBOR, firstly, it is sitting on a strategic spot, in that Kuala Lumpur is quite close to the Malacca Strait, the second busiest waterway in the world. Trade statistics show that almost half of the world’s total annual seaborne cargo passed through this passage, which is jointly administered by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Secondly, Malaysia is now China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and the third largest in Asia and its policy option can be used as reference for some other countries.

The Melaka Gateway is one such project, and provides a case study for a closer examination of the potential for OBOR investments in Malaysia to further Beijing’s strategic objectives. The strategic value of OBOR investments in Malaysia will not only increase China’s economic clout, but would also provide a solid logistical foundation to enable Beijing’s military aspirations. China has strong motivations to leverage its OBOR investments in Malaysia for strategic purposes, consistent with the plan’s revitalized focus. China’s 2015 defence white paper outlined a combination of ‘near seas defense’ and ‘distant seas protection’.

As Malaysia becoming gradually the major ASEAN partner in OBOR initiative being the beneficiary of more than US$200 billion worth of Chinese infrastructure and real estate investment. Malaysia’s need to upgrade its infrastructure to attract larger foreign investors and boost its slowing economy merges with China’s OBOR ambitions. But some of those investments have provoked suspicion about their potential to enable a Chinese military presence.

In addition, Malaysia can help China expand markets in other ASEAN and neighboring countries. All these factors together make Malaysia’s position key to the prospects of Belt Road. Several key areas and projects have been highlighted by both Malaysia and China under the umbrella of OBOR, including infrastructure, transportation, energy, property and even education and some progress have been made on each to date. For example, 60% of the equity of the 1MDB-owned Bandar Malaysia project in Kuala Lumpur was sold to a consortium led by a Malaysian company and China Railway Engineering Corp (CREC, a stated owned Chinese company) at RM7.41 billion in early 2016.

Since 2009, China supposed to been Malaysia’s largest trading partner. In 2015, China invested US$2 billion in Malaysia and total bilateral trade was US$100 billion. Given the strategic partnership initiative between both countries, Malaysia continues to be highly attractive outbound investment destination in China. China foreign investments in Malaysia will essentially translate to improved infrastructure and logistics and high-value job creation which ultimately facilitates Malaysia to become a high-income country by 2020.

With trade volume registering US$102 billion in 2014 , Malaysia has already been China’s largest ASEAN trading partner since 2008 and its third biggest Asian trading partner after Japan and South Korea. It is expected that the bilateral trade, which is growing at 8% yearly, will continue to expand. This strong bonding is going to be strengthened in the face of the Chinese president Xi Jin-ping’s efforts to enhance regional connectivity. At the highest level, Prime Minister Najib Razak has agreed to support China in principle in MSR at the Boao Forum for Asia 2015 . Transport Minister Liow T iong Lai also indicated that Malaysia had looked into how it should prepare itself and the emphasis is on ports, railways and the aviation sector, seaports in particular.

As for now OBOR and MIC (made in china) 2025 strategies, Malaysia has a higher potential to attract Chinese Multinational companies (“MNCs”) to grow their business in Greater Kuala Lumpur (“GKL”). GKL’s optimal location in Asia enables them to leverage GKL as a gateway into the ASEAN region on the back of 633 million populations, with growing household income and increasing high standard of living.

The alignment will enable Malaysia to benefit from the sharing of advanced technology, knowledge and experience, increased exposure to a global perspective, cultivate innovation and the creation of high-value job opportunities.
Malaysia US$6.8 billion deal with three Chinese state-owned companies to construct and manage a deep-sea port and Maritime Industrial Park on three reclaimed islands off Malacca city, as part of the larger US$9.7 billion Melaka Gateway mega-development. The facilities will include a container and bulk terminal, shipbuilding and repair services, and marine engineering and manufacturing services. On the other hand China General Nuclear Power Corp. (SOE) acquired Malaysia’s second largest power producer, Edra Global Energy Bhd, in a USD 2.3 Billion deal from Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund.

The deal gives China major foothold in the Malaysian energy sector. China Railway Construction Corp. joined forces with Malaysian Iskandar Waterfront Holdings to acquire a 60% stake in a major 1MDB property project ‘Bandar Malaysia’. The parties formed a 40-60 joint venture, through which they have access to one of the largest sustainable urban development projects being conducted in Malaysia. These acquisitions happened after 1MDB defaulted on its bond payments. 1MDB is a development company owned entirely by the Malaysian government. China also ranks as the top foreign backer of Malaysian real estate projects, with total investments topping 2.1 billion US dollars.

Recent projects include upgrading and building new ports, creating industrial parks and iconic urban developments, power generation, train construction, building new rail lines, investments in manufacturing plants, logistics, and information and communication technology. “This idea of upgrading ports and building new ports is actually a dream come true. The government policy for the last 10 to 15 years has been to make Malaysia a hub because of the location. I think now with the Chinese idea of trying to help and upgrade the infrastructure it will become a reality,” said Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, former Malaysian Ambassador to China.

Currently, there is cooperation between Malaysia and China on ports through a port alliance arrangement estimated to involve 11 Chinese and six Malaysian ports. China is keen to invest in Malaysia’s infrastructure projects for several reasons. Malaysia is viewed as politically stable, has favourable economic growth prospects, is highly ranked in trade competitiveness and has both traditional as well as new emerging areas for development in which to invest. Although BRI envisions major economic benefits, some fundamental challenges remain, such as geopolitical mistrust and economic constraints on China’s side. Examining China’s other major investments in Malaysia brings the strategic picture into sharper focus.

At Kuantan on Malaysia’s east coast, China jointly owns an industrial park and a 40% stake in the construction of a deep-sea port. Sand’s being rapidly dredged there to facilitate the US$12.4 billion East-Coast Rail Link, 85% of which is financed by China. The line will run from Port Klang on the west coast to Kuantan Port in the east, ending at Tumpat, near Malaysia’s northwest border with Thailand. Once complete, the railway will be a land bridge between Klang and Kuantan, enabling China-bound goods to bypass Singapore and the southern Malacca Strait. That’ll divert significant volumes of traffic away from Singapore and enhance China’s ability to control the flow of goods.

In 2016, during his visit to China Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razzak witnessed signing of fourteen agreements on several iconic and mega agreements between Malaysia and China worth RM144 billion. High Speed Rail (HSR) connecting Malaysia and Singapore is important but final results of final bidding will not be available until 2018. However, it is a general consensus that a Chinese-led consortium is one of the two most promising competitors (the other is Japanese-led consortium) because of its successful precedent as set in Indonesia.
Geopolitically, Malaysia is trying to seek a balance between the two big powers of the United States and China. If its getting involved in OBOR, Malaysia is also a member of TPP, a US-led trade agreement. Since OBOR and TPP are widely considered to be part of a rivalry between China and the US, the involvement of both projects clearly shows that Malaysia hopes to benefit from both but not to overly rely on any.

In a sense, the choice of “OBOR or TPP” reflects the choice of “US or China”, which is a common issue facing almost all the ASEAN countries, which is largely due to the geographic location of these countries. Although ASEAN countries try to speak with one voice, each of them have different responses to the “US or China” issue — some are more pro-American and others seem more pro-China. Of course, such is subject to change depending on their leadership and certain circumstances and the dispute over the South China Sea plays a key role in the policy option.

Last but not least, skepticism and concerns about OBOR can also be found in Malaysia. In addition to the dispute concerning the South China Sea, the “indifference” of Malay ethnic people as opposed to the “enthusiasm” of Chinese ethnic people and the exaggeration of the potential effect of OBOR are also challenges. However, it seems that the Malay-Chinese cooperation on OBOR hasn’t been influenced much by such opinions.

http://regionalrapport.com/2017/06/01/malaysia-important-node-obor/

 

[JSCh]

Greek, Chinese ports sign MOU to boost commercial ties
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-13 10:41:57|Editor: ying



ATHENS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), together with Chinese giant COSCO Shipping, the majority shareholder of PPA, and the world's largest commercial port of Shanghai signed two Memorandums of Understanding on Monday in the Greek capital of Athens to boost commercial ties.

The Shanghai International Port Group, which manages 25.7 percent of China's international trading volume, signed the memorandums with COSCO Shipping and PPA in the presence of Han Zheng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee.

Under the deal, which is within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Piraeus will strengthen its strategic position on the world trade map by increasing the incoming cargo from China to Europe.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in staff training, technical assistance, information exchange, as well as develop synergies to create new business opportunities.

"The current agreement with the port of Shanghai is very important. It means that through Piraeus huge quantities of goods will be transported from China to the rest of the world," Greek Deputy Economy and Development Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas told Xinhua on the sidelines of the event.

The document highlights the great perspective of growth not only for Piraeus, but for Greece as well, and Greece plays a key role for the Belt and Road Initiative and Piraeus is the first step for this cooperation, Pitsiorlas said.

"The agreement will strengthen the national economy and employment. We need investments in this period. Such investments show that the foreigners trust our country," said Christos Lampridis, secretary general of Ports, Port Policy and Maritime Investments of the Ministry of Shipping.

Since 2010, Cosco Shipping's subsidiary Piraeus Container Terminal has been operating Piers II and III at Piraeus port under a 35-year concession agreement.

In 2016, COSCO Shipping acquired 67 percent of the shares of PPA, turning the port into an important transport hub at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa.

 

[onebyone]

High-powered current and former government, business and academic leaders from China and Silk Road nations will be gather in Hangzhou for two days starting tomorrow to discuss business opportunities in those fast-growing regions.

The event will be organized by the Silk Road International Association, or SRIA, an affiliate of the Beijing-headquartered International Finance Forum, or IFF. SRIA, created in 2016, aims to serve as a platform for dialog and cooperation for business along the historic Silk Road; the IFF is focused on high-level dialog and research in the financial field. China has pledged $124 billion, including loans, to support projects along its former Silk Road trading route in the coming years.

Top Chinese companies with senior leaders present in Hangzhou for SRIA’s first summit include the China Railway Group, China Construction Bank and Everbright Securities. Government speakers from China will include Yuan Jiajun, governor of Zhejiang Province. Former Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo will speak, as well as Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, CEO of the King Abdullah Foundation, and Jenny Shipley, the former New Zealand prime minister.

Economists on hand include Cheng Xingdong, chief China economist of BNP Paribas (Asia) and Wang Yan, former senior economist at the World Bank. Click here for more information about SRIA.


--Follow me on Twitter @rflannerychina

https://www.forbes.com/sites/russel...road-summit-to-open-in-hangzhou/#7db4997d7ae3