New Silk Route and Bangladesh

THE old Silk Route was the route the Italian trader and traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324) took to and from China at the end of the thirteenth century. Since silk comprised a large proportion of trade along this route, it was named 'Silk Road' by Ferdinand von Richthofen, an eminent German geographer, in 1877

The old silk caravan route reportedly began in the 2nd century BC for carrying Chinese silk to the West. It is an historically important international trade route between China and the West.

The Silk Route covers several provinces and regions in China, from Xian in the east to Gansu Province and Xinjiang Province in the west. It was not only an ancient international trade route, but also a splendid cultural bridge linking the cultures of China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece and Rome.

In South Asia, Lord Dalhousie, India's Governor-General from 1848 to 1856, dreamt of another "route"-- a railway line from Singapore to Constantinople and beyond, with a branch track meandering up to Lhasa. Governor-General Lord Curzon (1899-1905) thought of a route linking Bengal, Myanmar and China.

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: "I dream of a day when one can have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore, and dinner in Kabul." That means Dr. Singh thinks that regional connectivity, in the days of globalisation, is an idea which needs to be seriously considered.

On December 12, 2012, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake, during his visit to Dhaka, reportedly said that Bangladesh was demonstrating leadership in developing constructive relationships with its neighbours on the eastern frontier of the new Silk Route. He further said that everyone stood to benefit when ideas, goods and people moved more freely and efficiently across borders.

On February 26, 2013, acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the State Department, Joseph Yun, termed the new Silk Route as "Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor" and pleaded for greater US engagement in massive investment for building road, rail, sea and air connectivity between these two regions.

Bangladesh is an integral component of the proposed new Silk Route linking Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Myanmar and China. The pivotal reasoning behind the new Silk Route is that economic incentives will reinforce close political cooperation and long-term stabilisation.

The new Silk Route initiative hopes to improve the economic and political connectivity of countries across South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. This may trigger liberalisation of trade barriers, customs procedures and development of transit and energy infrastructure. Contemporary needs necessitate physical connectivity for movement of goods for consumers.

Consequently, an adequate strategy to initiate the new route must consider the underlying trust-deficit among some countries in the region. Moreover, America's interests are not the same as those of the involved countries, and there is a need for a dialogue among Saarc countries to shape a coherent regional strategy of connectivity.

Furthermore, political and economic reforms have brought home the realisation that Myanmar also has untapped natural resources which can be harnessed to the benefit of the people of the region through connectivity.

Although relations between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have always been fragile, it is believed that the new Silk Route will help consolidate cooperation among them through economic incentives.

As a forerunner of the new Silk Route, the hugely popular 2004 India-Asean car rally (slogan: "Networking People and Economies") has been one of the signs of the future. On February 22, 2013, a group of adventure enthusiasts from Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, in a convoy of twenty cars, started on the first leg of an historic journey that took them all the way from Kolkata to Kunming via Dhaka and Myanmar. The stated purpose of this journey was to highlight road connectivity in the four countries of the region (BCIM), which held a meeting in Dhaka in February.

The Bangladesh government has been a strong believer in regional connectivity and, given its unique geographical position, the country can derive enormous benefits out of regional connectivity. Connectivity through road, rivers and railways is perceived as an economic necessity and is a part of the service industry.

The new Silk Route is an off-shoot of greater interconnectedness of countries in which national boundaries are losing their significance. Global business has changed the pattern of economic relationships. Economic benefits often put political differences on the backburner.

Finally, the ability to construct the new Silk Route/ Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor will depend on the development of a coherent strategy by the countries involved, taking into account the key geopolitical and security considerations.

The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.