From China to the world .. Everything you would like to know through the new Silk

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the two-day Silk Road Summit Friday with the participation of representatives from 150 countries, through which China aims to market the initiative that will make it a centerpiece of global economic relations.

The project is officially known as the "Belt and Road", a Chinese initiative built on the ruins of the ancient Silk Road. It aims to connect China to the world by investing billions of dollars in infrastructure along the Silk Road linking it with the European continent. Construction of ports, roads, railways and industrial zones.

The ancient Silk Road dates back to the 2nd century BC. The name refers to the land and sea network connecting China and Europe to the Middle East, with a length of more than 10,000 kilometers.

The new route is a giant Chinese project involving 123 countries, through which China wants to accelerate its products to global markets, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and South and Central America.

The main information about the project is as follows:

- China's attempts to revive the Silk Road began in the early 1990s, through the so-called European-Asian land bridge between China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, reaching Germany by rail.

- At the end of 2013, the road and road initiative was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and was the primary focus on investment in infrastructure, railways and highways.

- The project covers 66 countries in three continents, namely Asia, Europe and Africa, and is divided into three levels, including focal areas, expansion zones and sub-regions.

- The project includes two main branches: the "Silk Road Economic Road" and the "Maritime Silk Road".

- The Silk Road extends from the Chinese coast through Singapore and India towards the Mediterranean Sea. The land section of the initiative includes six corridors:

1. The new Eurasian land bridge extending from western China to Western Russia.

2. China-Mongolia-Russia corridor, extending from northern China to the Russian east.

3. China corridor - Central Asia - Western Asia, which extends from western China to Turkey.

4. China corridor - the Indochina peninsula, which runs from southern China to Singapore.

5. China-Pakistan corridor, which runs from southwest China to Pakistan.

6. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor extending from southern China to India.

- Since the Chinese president launched the project, his country has invested 80 billion euros in various projects, and banks have provided loans worth between 175 and 265 billion euros.

- Russia and Pakistan are the main supporters of the project, which was demonstrated by the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at this summit along with 35 presidents and prime ministers from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

- The project also supports Britain, Turkey and small countries such as Greece, whose foreign minister has been seen as the top economic opening at a time when many of the world's nations are closing themselves economically and politically.

- With China's growing influence and Western suspicions about its intentions, Europeans and Americans are increasingly worried about the project. This is evident in their participation in the summit, which began today with ministers, while Washington has not sent anyone.

- The only European exception was Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, whose country joined the Chinese initiative in March, as the first G7 country to make the move.

So far, 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with Beijing under the project, but these agreements do not provide unconditional support for the Chinese project, but some propose cooperation in a third country or in investment.

- China's railway links Europe and 62 Chinese cities with 51 European cities spread over 15 countries. The trains have been carrying 14,691 flights since it was launched in 2011. China's railways are scheduled to link Laos and Thailand.

- The total value of goods exchanged in both directions exceeded 30 billion euros in 2018.

- In Kenya, a railway called "Silk Roads" arrives in Nairobi, the capital of Mombasa, which has the country's most prominent port overlooking the Indian Ocean.

- In Uganda, a modern 50-kilometer road to the international airport was paved with Chinese funds and China has been able to turn a small coastal city in Tanzania into a port that could become the continent's largest port.

- In Pakistan, a series of infrastructure projects including roads, railways and power points to link the country's southern coast to the Chinese city of Keshgar (northwest). The project, called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, also included the construction of highways and hydroelectric dams, The Pakistani port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.

- Pakistan is seeking to boost its national growth, while China aims to secure a faster and more secure route through this sea route to its oil imports from the Middle East.

- China's surplus industrial production is one of the main drivers behind the initiative, the New York Times says. For example, China produces about 1.1 billion tons of steel a year, but only consumes 800 million tons.

- Critics of the project say it is working to strengthen the positions and influence of China-based companies, while at the same time making "debt traps" for countries benefiting from loans granted by Chinese banks, but China says the initiative includes a portfolio of projects that serve the environment and are financially viable without corruption. .