The first train on China�s �Silk Road� railway arrived in Tehran on February 15, making the 5,900-mile journey in a third of the time required by a sea voyage.

The Silk Road refers to an ancient network of trade routes that connected cultures running from Southeast Asia to the Mediterranean�especially the lucrative trade of Chinese silk. In late 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his plan to revive the Silk Road with his�One Belt, One Road�initiative (OBOR). Now that transport network has reached Iran.

China�s government says�OBOR��aims to promote the connectivity of Asian, European and African continents,� while �strengthening partnerships� that run through the path of the ancient Silk Road. Others expect even more. �Some people say there are only 65 countries involved, but that�s a misunderstanding,� says Zhao Changhui, chief risk analyst at China Export-Import Bank. �It�s a new method of development for China and the world.�

Iran welcomed the project. Mohsen Pourseyed Aqayi, the head of the Iranian railway company, said the train�s arrival in 14 days was an �unprecedented achievement.�

But the train routes don�t stop in the Middle East. One diesel locomotive already makes the 8,100-mile journey from the east coast of China to Spain. Political leaders in Europe, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have publicly lauded�OBOR�and expressed enthusiasm to participate in it. Multiple European countries previously showed their enthusiasm for joint cooperation when they joined the China-sponsored�Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank�(AIIB).

The�Diplomat,�which covers the Asia-Pacific region, recognized the opportunities that�China�s grand initiative�could have:
For centuries, the long distance between Europe and China has been a natural obstacle to strengthening bilateral trade relations. As the�OBORproject concentrates on enhancing connectivity and transport infrastructure, there is huge potential to enlarge and accelerate the movements of goods between China and Europe.


Critics of the�OBOR�intiative have pointed to slow growth of major projects in Europe. �Europeans are watching at the implementation in Pakistan, which is really the only country where major�OBOR�projects are coming up,� said the deputy director of the Asia and China Program, Mathieu Duchatel.

Zhao says the lack of projects so far is simply because the concept is new: �The time is not ripe. It�s not that there aren�t projects, it�s just that they aren�t developed yet.�

China�s largest trading partner is already the European Union, and its economic footprint there is spreading. In January, China was�accepted�as a small yet symbolic shareholder into the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The�Trumpet�has followed the�growing relationship�between China and Europe (especially Germany) and expects their trade alliance to be further strengthened. You can find out the details of that trade relationship in a column by the late Ron Fraser, �The Great Mart.�


This article was written by Kieren Underwood for The Trumpet on Feb 25,2016.