As part of China’s Presidential visit to Europe this week, Mr Xi Jinping will be in France to promote China’s New Sild Road over-arching development strategy known officially as “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) or the “Belt and Road Initiative” (the BRI).
The Belt and Road Initiative covers approximately 65 countries in Asia and Europe, for a total estimated cost of 55% of global GDP. It involves 70% of the global population – 4.4 billion people – and 75% of the world’s energy reserves, with the total estimated investment period spanning 30 to 35 years for all the projects to be completed.
The estimated cost of the first projects stands around 900 billion dollars, for which China is said to consider loans that could amount to 8 trillion dollars, for the future infrastructures in the different countries along the new Silk Road.
In his
