New Silk Roads | Astute News

Why the New Silk Roads are a ‘Threat’ to US Bloc

January 29, 2020 Opinion

Under the cascading roar of the 24/7 news cycle cum Twitter eruptions, it’s easy for most of the West, especially the US, to forget the basics about the interaction of Eurasia with its western peninsu…

In the Footsteps of Xuanzang in Kyrgyzstan

December 24, 2019 Opinion

At the start of the Tang dynasty, in the early 7th century, a young wandering monk embarked on a 16-year long voyage from the imperial capital Chang’an (today’s Xian) to India to collect Buddhist manu…

Cruising Pamir Highway, The Heart of the Heartland

December 17, 2019 Opinion

Traveling the Pamir Highway, we’re not only facing a geological marvel and a magic trip into ancient history and customs. It’s also a privileged window on a trade revival that will be at the heart of …

Pamir Highway: The Road on the Roof of the World

December 16, 2019 Opinion

This is arguably the ultimate road trip on earth. Marco Polo did it. All the legendary Silk Road explorers did it. Traveling the Pamir Highway back to back, as a harsh winter approaches, able to appre…

At China-Kazakh Border: New Silk Roads in Action

December 6, 2019 Opinion

We are cruising on a pristine, 380 km-long four-lane superhighway from Almaty to Khorgos – finished in 2016 for $1.25 billion, 85% of the cost covered by a World Bank loan. And then, suddenly, riding …

Trials and Tribulations of Central Asia integration

December 3, 2019 Opinion

Crossing Tajikistan from west to northeast – Dushanbe to the Tajik-Kyrgyz border – and then Kyrgyzstan from south to north all the way to Bishkek via Osh, is one of the most extraordinary road trips o…

China’s Vision for the Future: “Give Peace a Chance”

November 12, 2019 Opinion

China’s vision for the future is “Give Peace a Chance”. It is also the title of one of John Lennon’s most prominent songs. It became the anthem for the anti-war movement, at the time of the US-wa…

A Blue Dot Barely Visible from New Silk Roads

November 8, 2019 Opinion

Chinese President Xi Jinping six years ago launched New Silk Roads, now better known as the Belt and Road Initiative, the largest, most ambitious, pan-Eurasian infrastructure project of the 21st centu…