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Monday, September 30th, 2019

Visualizing China’s Most Ambitious Megaproject

Author:     Jeff Desjardins
Source:     Visual Capitalist
Publication Date:     March 15, 2018
 Link: Visualizing China’s Most Ambitious Megaproject
Stephan:   A reader wrote me asking, "With all the craziness going on in America, the media seems to have little time to cover anything else. So can you tell us what China is up to?" Excellent question, I thought. Well, there is Hong Kong of course. But in the broader sense while Trump and his minions are dismantling American democracy, and selling the government to a few corporations, most notably the carbon and extractive industries, and squandering almost unimaginable sums on the military-security-industrial complex here is what China is doing. Which nation do you think will have the infrastructure to dominate the last half of the 21st century?

Visualizing China’s Most Ambitious Megaproject

Costing between $4-8 trillion and affecting 65 countries, China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative is the granddaddy of all megaprojects.

By the time of it’s estimated completion in 2049, OBOR will stretch from the edge of East Asia all the way to East Africa and Central Europe, and it will impact a lengthy list of countries that account for 62% of the world’s population and 40% of its economic output.

Today’s infographic from Raconteur helps visualize the initiative’s tremendous size, scale, and potential impact on Asian infrastructure.

Silk Road 2.0

The tangible concept behind OBOR is to build an extensive network of infrastructure – including railways, roads, pipelines, and utility grids – that help link China to the rest of Asia, as well as Africa and Europe.

This multi-trillion dollar project will fill the infrastructure gap that currently inhibits economic growth potential on the world’s largest continent, but it has other important objectives as well. By connecting all of these economies together, China is hoping to become the gatekeeper for a new platform international trade cooperation and integration.

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3 Comments

  1. sam crespi on Monday, September 30, 2019 at 8:24 am

    Sadly, this is a diversion from their previously stated intention of being a world leader on the environment and Climate Change. Their economy is in trouble and discontent is rife, esp. among the younger generations. On top of that, when China builds in other places, they have a history of creating more environmental problems – abroad. This feels like a move by those in power to maintain their hold on the nation and amp up profits for themselves. It mirrors what is happening around the world with leaders who’ve come into power in a time of uncertainty and fear. Whether they can maintain their positions is still up in the air.

    https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-chinas-renewable-energy-transition-is-losing-momentum

  2. Rev. Dean on Monday, September 30, 2019 at 10:42 am

    This Chinese project seems like the ancient “Silk Road” that used to be the main trade-way thousands of years ago, coming back to life.

  3. Will on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 5:56 am

    I remember reading once someone said China had 150 years of really bad luck and now that has turned around. In the long flow of Chinese history that seemed to make a lot of sense.

    The USA has been by comparison, a so far, a short-term project that may not prove out but China has been the center of the world, so they imagine, for thousands of years with many high and low points. This civilization has experienced many horrible periods and then many wonderful creative periods-feast and famine. Too often in our modern times every story is about competition, about who’s ahead economically or militarily, who’s soft or hard power is greater, who pollutes more or is doing more about it or who manipulates or is/will control world events.

    In the long stretch of history the Chinese leaders know well what happens when chaos gains control of their country so one can understand reasons for the authoritarian state. I think too soon we will see a reestablishment of control in Hong Kong with painful results. Our world is changing, coming under more stress and challenge so the freedom, as we have defined it, will become more rare or so I fear…