The Belt and Road Becomes the World Landbridge
Address by Helga Zepp-LaRouche
to the Think Tank Exchanges Sessions
at the Belt and Road Initiative Forum
Beijing China
May 15, 2017
Helga Zepp-LaRouche was invited to participate in the “thematic sessions on think tank exchanges” on May 14 and 15, held on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum. On the first day, she was a discussant at the session on the “Belt and Road for Facilitating Strong, Balanced, Inclusive and Sustainable Global Economy”, and on the second day, she was a speaker at the 5th Global Think Tank Summit, “Gathering Wisdoms for Promoting Global Growth”. Her presentation is below.
The Belt and Road Becomes the World Landbridge
There has been a breathtaking dynamic of the New Silk Road in the three and a half years since pronounced by President Xi Jinping in 2013. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has the obvious potential of quickly becoming a World Land Bridge, connecting all continents through infrastructure, such as tunnels and bridges, reinforced by the Maritime Silk Road. As such, it represents a new form of globalization, but not determined by the criteria of profit maximization for the financial sector, but for the harmonious development of all participating countries on the basis of Win-Win cooperation.
It is therefore important, that one does not look at the BRI from the standpoint of an accountant, who projects his statistical viewpoint of cost-benefit into the future, but that we think about it as a Vision for the Community of a Shared Future. Where do we want humanity as a whole to be in 10, 100, or even in a 1000 years? Is it not the natural destiny of mankind, as the only creative species known in the universe so far, that we will be building villages on the moon, develop a deeper understanding of the trillions of galaxies in our universe, solve the problem of until now incurable diseases, or solve the problem of energy and raw material security through the development of thermonuclear fusion power? By focusing on the common aims of humanity we will be able to overcome geopolitics and establish a higher level of reason for the benefit of all.
It is obvious, that the World Land Bridge is ideal for completing the development of the landlocked areas of our planet. The colonization of nearby space will be the obvious next phase of the infrastructural opening up of the natural habitat of man.
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Looking at the world land map, the United States is not merely a country surrounded by two oceans and two neighbours, but can be a central part of an infrastructure corridor which connects the southern tip of Ibero- America through Central and South America with the Eurasian transport system via a tunnel under the Bering Strait. Since President Xi Jinping made the offer to President Trump for the US to join the Belt and Road Initiative, there is now a practical proposal on the table, where the US can become an integral part of the World Land Bridge. The infrastructure requirements of the US, which are enormous, could be a perfect opportunity to convert all or part of the $1.4 trillion China is holding in US Treasuries into such investments via an infrastructure bank. For example, the US really needs approximately 40,000 miles of fast train routes, if they would want to match the Chinese plan to connect every domestic large city by fast train by the year 2020.
The US economy would experience a tremendous boost through such a grand scale infrastructural investment, and could in turn export into the fast growing Chinese market, and once competition is replaced by cooperation, the opportunities for joint ventures between the US and China in third countries are enormous.
Since President Trump has declared his intension to reintroduce the American System of Economy of Alexander Hamilton, Henry C. Clay and Abraham Lincoln, and also reintroduce the Glass Steagall legislation of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the possibility of an early establishment of a National Bank and a Credit System in order to channel Chinese holdings into infrastructure investments is near.
While more and more European nations, both outside and within the EU, are recognizing the tremendous potentials of the BRI and express the intention to become a hub for Eurasian cooperation, the EU itself has been reserved, to be diplomatic.
There is however one huge challenge, where the member states of the EU could be convinced to cooperate with the BRI: It is the refugee crisis. The only human way to heal this moral wound of Europe is the active integration of European nations in a Grand Design development plan for all of Africa with the BRI.
The positive new prospect of US-Russia de-escalation and military to military cooperation in Syria, along with the Astana process, now puts stabilization of the entire region in sight. Offers by China to extend the New Silk Road to Southwest Asia already exist.
The New Silk Road must--as the ancient one did--lead to an exchange of the most beautiful expressions of culture of all participating countries in order to succeed. The true meaning of Win-Win cooperation is not just the material benefit of infrastructure and industrial development, but of making the joyful discovery in other cultures of the beauty of their classical music, poetry and painting, and, by knowing them, strengthen our love for mankind as a whole.
In the building of the World Land Bridge all nations will cooperate on studying how to apply the laws of the Noosphere to the establishment of durable forms of self-government. The development of the creative mental powers of all people in all nations, will give all of mankind the sense of unity and purpose which will make our species truly human. When we organize our societies around scientific and artistic discovery, we will perfect our knowledge on how we can continuously advance the process of self-development of mankind, intellectually, morally and aesthetically, and we will find our freedom in necessity--doing our duty with passion!