Future researchers and authors John and Doris Naisbitt have focused on China’s Belt and Road Initiative in their book “Im Sog der Seidenstrasse”. The Belt and Road Initiative has even been included in the Communist Party’s constitution by President Xi Jinping. This would not have happened “if maximum certainty had not been provided by internal considerations and calculations,” the two authors highlight in an interview with MDB-Consult. While there are risks, such as those currently evident in Venezuela, which had already reached an agreement with China, the country regards its initiative as a “stabilizing factor”. “It is grounded in the wish and means to fight the roots of terrorism by creating the preconditions for economic progress in order to give people prospects,” said John and Doris Naisbitt. China consequently wants to redefine and realize globalization.
Europe, however, will struggle to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative. “China is a leader in robotics, has almost caught up with the USA in artificial intelligence, boasts the world’s greatest network for high-speed trains and builds airports in record time. A report from the International Energy Agency confirms China’s pioneering role in renewable energies,” say the future researchers, adding that it will not be easy to find a niche. Nor are they concerned about a lack of environmental protection efforts. China sees itself as an “infrastructure and service provider for partner countries” in which “economic growth is to be achieved through new, environmentally-friendly industries”.
That China not only effects change to global benchmarks but also in its own country is demonstrated by the case study of Shenzhen. The city needs space for 1.7 million apartments and commercial areas. An article by Germany Trade & Invest reports that land reclamation of 5,000 hectares through landfill is planned in Shenzhen. The corresponding investment that is required totals US$4 billion. Around 100,000 new apartments are to be built each year up to 2035.
