The New Silk Road ─ China Meets Europe in the Baltic Sea Region: a Business Perspective

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2013 to Kazakhstan heralded the first official announcement of China’s “Belt and Road” (B&R) initiative, which was quickly followed by new institutions, new international agreements, and the emergence of Sino-foreign projects in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. Larcon studies the impact of China’s B&R initiative on one of the regions of Europe where the two wings of the “New Silk Road” are converging: the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The BSR is accessible from China through sea ports ranging along the coast of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and through the land-road crossing Central Asia and Russia towards the Baltic Sea and Central European countries. Thus, the B&R initiative creates new strategic opportunities for Chinese and European enterprises operating along the way, as well as new challenges for government agencies and regional authorities in charge of foreign trade, infrastructure development and the country’s attractiveness. He shares his finding with the corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, management scholars and representatives of the public sector working on this unite project connecting people, organizations and cultures across Eurasia. Annotation ©2017 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)