MK254
JF-Expert Member
- May 11, 2013
- 32,408
- 50,809
Mtandao huo utapita baharini, ardhini na kuunganisha mataifa 60 duniani, sasa hapo ukizingatia pia Kenya ipo mbioni kukamilisha SGR ambayo pia Mchina amehusika ili iunganishe Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda na Sudan Kusini na Burundi halafu kiaina DRC wataunga humo.
Wakenya tuchangamkie kila fursa hadi kieleweke. Imefikia hatua dunia haiwezi kutupuuza kwa vyovyote vile.
Hii hapa ramani ya mtandao huo wa dunia
In a recent visit to Beijing, I looked forward to visiting the Great Wall of China. I wanted to be awed by the scale and scope of this wonder of the world that took more than two millennia to build. I did not get the opportunity, but I was awed by something else: A $4 trillion project being promoted by the Chinese government to increase trade among several countries, under the One Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road originally referred to ancient trade routes that ran from China, through Asia, Northern Africa and Europe, ending in The Netherlands and Germany. The Silk Road, as it was referred to, not only facilitated the movement of goods among countries for centuries, but also enhanced cultural interaction.
Silk from China found its way to Africa and Europe, Persian rugs from Iran, horses from Greece and pottery from Italy were traded along the route. The Silk Road disintegrated at the fall of the Mongol Empire.
Now the Chinese want to revive this trade route, adopting modern technology to promote business among many countries. The development strategy and framework, proposed and launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries, primarily between China, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Xi wants to recreate the prosperity of the ancient route, and so far many agreements have been signed by countries on three continents. The project aims to redirect the country’s domestic overcapacity and capital for regional infrastructure development to improve trade and relations.
There are two main components, the Silk Road Economic Belt, which connects countries over land, and the Maritime Silk Road, which links China and Asia to countries - including Kenya - by sea.
About 60 countries are involved, making up about 40 per cent of the world’s GDP and more than half of the world population. Kenya’s standard gauge railway and new port in Mombasa are part of this cooperation. The biggest and most expensive infrastructure project undertaken by Kenya since Independence will link the Port of Mombasa with the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. The first train between Mombasa and Nairobi is scheduled to be flagged off on June 1 next year.
Today marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Ambassador Liu Xianfa will use the celebrations to strengthen ties between his country and Kenya.
Kenya needs to establish how it can harness the opportunities this big budget, large-scale project presents, and what it can learn from China. After all, in just 30 years, China has developed from an agricultural, inward looking economy to become a global manufacturing powerhouse. Implementing a model where it invested and produced goods at home and exported to developed economies helped to elevate it to the second largest economy in the world, after the US.
The One Belt and Road Initiative underlines China’s desire to seek a greater role in global affairs and trade. Scepticism remains about whether China is trying to dominate the world, something to which President Xi has responded with ‘three nos’ ie, China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations; it does not seek to increase the so-called “sphere of influence”; and it does not strive for hegemony or dominance
Even with China’s big purses, $4 trillion is a lot of money. Three financial institutions have been set up to support this development; they have met some resistance in the West, given they provide alternatives to the World Bank, IMF and AfDB.
The institutions that will mobilise the money are the Silk Road Infrastructure Fund, which is capitalised mainly by China’s forex reserves and will be managed like China’s sovereign wealth fund; Asian Infra Investment Bank, which aspires to be a global development bank with 21 Asian member countries with registered capital of $100 billion; and the New Development Bank, which is a BRICS multilateral development bank established on July 15, 2014, by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
China's US$4 trillion Belt and Road Initiative
Wakenya tuchangamkie kila fursa hadi kieleweke. Imefikia hatua dunia haiwezi kutupuuza kwa vyovyote vile.
Hii hapa ramani ya mtandao huo wa dunia
In a recent visit to Beijing, I looked forward to visiting the Great Wall of China. I wanted to be awed by the scale and scope of this wonder of the world that took more than two millennia to build. I did not get the opportunity, but I was awed by something else: A $4 trillion project being promoted by the Chinese government to increase trade among several countries, under the One Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road originally referred to ancient trade routes that ran from China, through Asia, Northern Africa and Europe, ending in The Netherlands and Germany. The Silk Road, as it was referred to, not only facilitated the movement of goods among countries for centuries, but also enhanced cultural interaction.
Silk from China found its way to Africa and Europe, Persian rugs from Iran, horses from Greece and pottery from Italy were traded along the route. The Silk Road disintegrated at the fall of the Mongol Empire.
Now the Chinese want to revive this trade route, adopting modern technology to promote business among many countries. The development strategy and framework, proposed and launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries, primarily between China, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Xi wants to recreate the prosperity of the ancient route, and so far many agreements have been signed by countries on three continents. The project aims to redirect the country’s domestic overcapacity and capital for regional infrastructure development to improve trade and relations.
There are two main components, the Silk Road Economic Belt, which connects countries over land, and the Maritime Silk Road, which links China and Asia to countries - including Kenya - by sea.
About 60 countries are involved, making up about 40 per cent of the world’s GDP and more than half of the world population. Kenya’s standard gauge railway and new port in Mombasa are part of this cooperation. The biggest and most expensive infrastructure project undertaken by Kenya since Independence will link the Port of Mombasa with the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. The first train between Mombasa and Nairobi is scheduled to be flagged off on June 1 next year.
Today marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Ambassador Liu Xianfa will use the celebrations to strengthen ties between his country and Kenya.
Kenya needs to establish how it can harness the opportunities this big budget, large-scale project presents, and what it can learn from China. After all, in just 30 years, China has developed from an agricultural, inward looking economy to become a global manufacturing powerhouse. Implementing a model where it invested and produced goods at home and exported to developed economies helped to elevate it to the second largest economy in the world, after the US.
The One Belt and Road Initiative underlines China’s desire to seek a greater role in global affairs and trade. Scepticism remains about whether China is trying to dominate the world, something to which President Xi has responded with ‘three nos’ ie, China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations; it does not seek to increase the so-called “sphere of influence”; and it does not strive for hegemony or dominance
Even with China’s big purses, $4 trillion is a lot of money. Three financial institutions have been set up to support this development; they have met some resistance in the West, given they provide alternatives to the World Bank, IMF and AfDB.
The institutions that will mobilise the money are the Silk Road Infrastructure Fund, which is capitalised mainly by China’s forex reserves and will be managed like China’s sovereign wealth fund; Asian Infra Investment Bank, which aspires to be a global development bank with 21 Asian member countries with registered capital of $100 billion; and the New Development Bank, which is a BRICS multilateral development bank established on July 15, 2014, by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
China's US$4 trillion Belt and Road Initiative
