China has a crazy idea:
China may have to move some metaphorical mountains to build its proposed 16,000-mile, high-speed train network from Beijing to London, with lines running to Southeast Asia, India and Europe. For a start, that means proving the railroad is economically viable for the 17 nations it will run through, and managing some treacherous diplomatic terrain.
A senior consultant on the rail project said that China wants participating countries not to pay in cash, but rather with natural resources. That tactic could represent “a sort of neo-imperialism desired by the countries to be colonized,” argues Yonah Freemark of Transport Politic:
Will they regret the selling off of their natural resources in exchange for better transportation offerings? Is this reasonable foreign investment on the part of China, or is it an attempt to take control of the economies of poor countries?
Even if China proves that its resource-exchange plan is mutually beneficial, it will still have to convince European countries that the rail line is economically worthwhile, especially as maritime transport is already so cheap.
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