Dominance or development? What’s at the end of China’s New Silk Road?

  • Beijing’s global infrastructure drive will be in the spotlight this week when dozens of heads of state converge on the Chinese capital for the second Belt and Road Forum
  • In the first of a four-part series, we look at what might be the real purpose of the massive programme

By the entrance of the main office in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone is a crimson message from the country’s prime minister, Hun Sen.

Written in flowing Khmer and Mandarin is a quote from the China-friendly strongman likening the area to “my own son”.

On the opposite wall is a quote from Chinese President Xi Jinping hailing the zone – one of the first industrial estates in Asia funded and jointly run by Chinese investors – as a landmark model of cooperation.

The zone is home to dozens of Chinese firms and is just 12km (7 miles) from Cambodia’s only deep-sea port, a facility that was developed with the help of China’s strategic rival, Japan.

MORE: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3007059/dominance-or-development-whats-end-chinas-new-silk-road