China is pouring money into countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, aiming to rebuild the old Silk Road trade route. 'Just seeing that kind of development from nothing to something in such a short amount of time tells you that the New Silk Road thing is for real now.' The One Belt, One Road Initiative, which includes the plan for developing the New Silk Road, is the outcome of their planning. 'The United States was going to try and put Afghanistan at the centre of this emergent Silk Road network,' says Shepard. 'One of the key areas of anxiety that surrounds the South China Sea issue is trade security.

Source: Forbes September 21, 2016 22:30 UTC