The Silk Road Investment Forum will be held at Asia House from Thursday 6 April until Friday 7 April 2017 and will bring together the leading investors, advisors, officials, contractors and suppliers contributing to successful Silk Road initiatives.
On January 18, the first direct freight train from China arrived at Barking Rail Freight Terminal in London after an 18-day journey covering 12,000 km. London thus joined Hamburg, Madrid and Milan in offering direct rail connections to China. The Hamburg service began in 2013, the same year China’s President Xi Jinping outlined a bold and ambitious vision for infrastructure development. The Belt and Road Initiative includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, referencing the historic trade routes that once linked East and West.
East-West trade is again on the rise. The EU now ranks as China’s largest trading partner and China ranks as the EU’s second largest trading partner. Trade has fueled cross-border infrastructure investment, with Chinese firms investing in European power plants, ports and electric bus factories while European firms remain among the top investors in China. Domestic investment in trade infrastructure is also on the rise as transportation and logistics companies fund upgrades and expansions. Between East and West lie critical regions that have only just begun to realise the benefits of the new Silk Road. These include Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and South Asia, each of which is abuzz with new investment projects to support trade, development and economic growth.
I will be speaking on Friday afternoon at 3 pm – talking about Sino-Iranian relations, but there are host of other high profile speakers including the Georgian and Kyrgyz Ambassadors, Gavin Serkin of Frontera News as well as representatives from ADB, EBRD and OPIC.
The Silk Road Investment Forum will be the premier event in Europe for Eurasian infrastructure investment. The event will bring together the leading investors, advisors, officials, contractors and suppliers contributing to successful Silk Road initiatives. To become part of the most significant infrastructure programme in modern history, register now.
