Eurasia, the supercontinent that will define our century

The end of the Cold War was supposed to inaugurate Europe’s age of reconciliations, when the continent, finally at peace with itself, would be able to exist as a unified whole. But reconciliation worked perhaps too well: the disappearance of the Iron Curtain also meant that Europe struggled to differentiate itself from the lands to the east. By expanding it might expand without limits; by retreating it might become an importer of instability.

The decade that brought down the Berlin Wall was also responsible for opening China to global capitalism. Deep value chains were quickly established, together with the infrastructure – both physical and digital – necessary to make them work. It is frequently forgotten that this infrastructure was first developed by Western multinationals and financial institutions.

In recent years, Chinese authorities have increasingly taken on this task and with the Belt and Road Initiative, a development project of unmatched ambition, they intend to be firmly in control. Spanning some 70 countries and requiring investment approaching $4 trillion, the initiative is deliberately intended to reshape the global political and economic order. China’s trade with countries along the Belt and Road rose 17.8% year-on-year in January 2018.

Diese Infografik wurde vom WEF publiziert und von Reuters erstellt. Sie basiert auf Daten des Mercator Institute for China Studies. Klicken Sie auf die Infografik oder diesen Link, um zu dem Originalartikel zu gelangen.