As China formally launched the largest infrastructure development programme the world has ever seen, the BBC World Service led its Sunday news bulletins with the following story: a 101-year-old great-grandfather from Somerset had become the oldest man on the planet to do a skydive. When the network, which reaches a global audience upwards of 66 million, finally got to the events under way in Beijing, its description was shot through with doubt. Is this a Trojan horse, the presenter asked, a sneaky trick to lull other countries into letting down their guard?
It is a good illustration of the problems China faces in selling its Belt and Road Initiative to the world. From the outset, the plan has been met, in some quarters, with equal parts suspicion and scepticism.
Questions have been raised about its scope, scale and slew of expensive projects – roads, railway lines, ports, pipelines and much else – that is expected to join China to Central Asia, Europe and Africa by land and sea over the next few years.
India, China’s giant neighbour, has been grumpy about the infusion of renminbi into its rival Pakistan, especially the $57 billion (Dh209 bn) trade corridor through the disputed territory of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Japan has expressed profound distrust of the plan, at least until China “rectifies its self-serving behaviour”, in the words of the country’s most widely read newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The European Union has raised concerns about the initiative’s perceived shortcomings, not least its insufficient transparency and inadequate social and environmental sustainability. And Australia has assumed a mugwump position, plonking itself firmly on the fence, one eye fixed on the main chance. The result has been a comical contortion with Canberra rejecting the invitation to formally sign on even as it expressed eagerness about commercial opportunities.
What’s going on is pretty obvious. India, Japan, most of the European Union, Australia and some other countries are wary of China trying to take charge of a wholly remade new world order. The distrust and derision mostly reflects the world’s collective nervousness at the thought of profound change, especially one led by a people described unkindly as inscrutable.
Long years ago, Lord Tennyson described another such period, a time shrouded in myth, the passing of the legendary King Arthur and of his knightly fellowship and glorious court at Camelot. “The old order changeth yielding place to new,” Tennyson wrote and that line seems to sum up the twists and turns of 21st century geopolitics.
So is the old order really changing? It’s probably fair to say the 20th was indisputably the American century but that there is no certainty this will continue.
President Donald Trump has expressed impatience with the idea of United States support for friends, allies and trading partners.
Right on cue, along comes China with its sandwich board for Globalisation 2.0. Of course, China’s president Xi Jinping originally articulated the idea four years ago but it is symbolically significant the formal roll-out has occurred within four months of an “America First” administration taking office in Washington.
It’s also worth noting that the nearest equivalent to the Belt and Road Initiative is America’s now nearly 70-year-old Marshall Plan, but even that is peanuts in comparison.
After the Second World War ended, the US provided aid to western European countries of just over $13 billion, which would be roughly 10 times as much today. But China has already pledged $1 trillion in investment throughits banks and credit funds.
Undoubtedly, the scale of the plan and the sweep of China’s ambition makes it look and sound unreal, a celluloid fantasy portraying the hand-off between superpowers.
India, for instance, has repeated the criticisms voiced by western economists about the risk of indebting countries for ever. The argument goes that granting loans rather than aid is a more insidious way of controlling another country. That is undoubtedly a worry, but influence can be purchased as much with aid as with a loan.
Of course, there is much still to be determined about globalisation with Chinese characteristics.
At the roll-out, Mr Xi drew a contrast between the American-led world order and the new one envisioned by China. Beijing would not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, he promised, it will not export its system of society and development model or impose its views on others. Naysayers such as India with past knowledge of imperialism scoffed but every attempt at international connectivity doesn’t have to automatically mean a new colonial era.
In fact, if it does nothing else, the Chinese plan is likely to serve as a stimulus for global trade.
It could do this on its own and/or by serving as a trigger for copycat initiatives. India and Japan, for instance, are currently finalising plans to fund a clutch of infrastructure and capacity-building projects in Iran, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Africa. The pace of those ventures is quickening, with a crucial meeting planned for next week.
Though chairman Mao is no longer in fashion, his slogan may be apt in this new phase of China-aided globalisation: Let a hundred flowers bloom.
Rashmee Roshan Lall is a writer on world affairs
On Twitter: @rashmeerl
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
FORSPOKEN
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Marvel's%20Spider-Man%202
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Assassin's%20Creed%20Mirage
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Starfield
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Bethesda%20Game%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bethesda%20Softworks%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20Xbox%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Company%20Profile
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More from our neighbourhood series:
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
Liz%20Truss
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MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
