New Silk Road

The old Silk Road connected China, India, Persia, Arabia, Rome and Egypt through a network of routes that moved merchants and preachers, goods and ideas across the vast Eurasian landmass.
The creation of modern territorial states steadily closed down inner Asian frontiers that were once the most open and productive in the world. As a result, Afghanistan, Central Asia and western China are now landlocked.
From Washington to Beijing, Delhi to Dushanbe, and Tehran to Kashgar, there is much excitement about the enormous potential of the New Silk Road — road and rail corridors, oil and natural gas pipelines and power transmission lines land-linking the territories that became remote only in recent history.
For Kabul and its supporters, turning Afghanistan into “Asia’s roundabout” is at the heart of the strategy to make it economically self-sustaining after 2014
At least some in Pakistan, which has always been acutely conscious of its geostrategic location at the crossroads of Asia, have begun to recognise the benefits of becoming an economic bridge between India, China, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
For Delhi, overcoming the political barriers in Pakistan for trans-border trade and gaining overland access to Afghanistan and Central Asia
events highlight the new possibilities for trans-border economic cooperation but also underline the persistent problem of cross-border terrorism.
Bekri’s visit to India comes at a time when Xinjiang is facing trouble from extremist groups trained and equipped in terror camps in Pakistan.
While India-China counter-terror cooperation might take time to evolve, Delhi and Beijing have similar interests in promoting regional integration between South Asia, Central Asia and western China.
Building a New Silk Road has become a major component of the Obama administration’s strategy to secure Afghanistan’s future beyond 2014.
A comprehensive regional security framework is likely to remain elusive at Istanbul because of Pakistan’s opposition. Islamabad sees itself in a privileged position in Afghanistan and has no interest in regional mechanisms that constrain its freedom of action.
It’s not just an economic plan. It talks about how we can get these countries that have so many problems with each other to begin cooperating
China has already taken the lead in building ambitious trade corridors between western China on the one hand and Pakistan and the Middle East on the other. Beijing also has ambitious plans to develop a “Eurasian land bridge” linking its Pacific coastline with the Atlantic.
While India has reasons to object to China’s development of infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Delhi has every incentive to explore the possibilities for joint ventures with Beijing in the future development of Afghanistan.
Both India and China have an interest in developing the natural resources of Afghanistan and connect the country to global markets.