China's New Silk Road

Is China becoming a new global superpower? 

A new initiative reminds many of China's role in the ancinet Silk Roads.

Today, the Chinese government is spending trillions of dollars building ports and highways over land and along maritime routes in the Indian ocean. 

Over land, for example, a railroad line connects China to London and gas pipelines run from the Caspian Sea to China. 

The Chinese are also spending billions of dollars building ports in the Indian Ocean. Some of these ports are built in weak countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who cannot repay the cost. Consequently, China got a 99 year lease on the port in Sri Lanka and a 40 year lease on the port in Gwadar, Paksitan.

Check out this excellent short clip from Vox and this story from BBC, which includes some excellent maps. The World Economic Forum also has an excellent story.

Thanks to Angela Lee for posting the link to this story.