Bring a tank. Chinas legendary silk road was one of the wonders of the ancient world now this trade route is being brought back to life. The new silk road is a vast undertaking and a demonstration of power and might. Hundreds of billions of euros are flowing into new infrastructure right away lines harbors streets bridges and tunnels in 65 Different Countries its a project the likes of which the world has never seen. Its a powerful vision and for many an inspiring one for some it brings opportunity for others misery. The new silk road a testament to chinas revived ambitions on the global stage. Just 40 years ago this was a market town today shenzhen is a high tech metropolis with more than 25000000 residents china silicon valley. The cratering metropolis brimming with confidence is the face of the new china an ambitious china with eyes clearly focused on the west. And the way there is the new silk road we retraced 2 routes over land and sea from the chinese city of shenzhen to the german city of do sport. What lies behind chinas grand ambitions what transformations will this route bring and how will these changes be felt in germany in western europe. I boarded a train from shenzhen headed west through the night in my restless sleep to the sound of the wheels on the tracks conjures up the plot of the camel caravans that once traversed this route. The train is scheduled to arrive in didnt want at 6 30 in the morning. But it pulls into the station half an hour early. China has taken many by surprise in its hurry to reach the west. As day breaks in doing the sand dunes slowly emerge on the horizon as though they are born anew every morning. A lizard searches for warmth. The daily throngs of Chinese Tourists are about to arrive. There are camels here too an echo of the ancient trade route. They greet the crowd with patient indifference. Laden with chinese vacationers the caravan heads out toward the do its for tourists this is like a journey into the glorious past a time when china was a global power. Centuries ago traders brought silk jade spices and gold along this. Route the old silk road link the east and west on what was a perilous journey inside these caves frescoes tell tales of the old silk road one shows traders from central asia being ambushed by bandits. The traders prey to buddhist gods and are saved. The frescoes or a distillation of the influences along the historic trade route the goods came from some are conned the style of painting from ancient greece and the buddhism from india. Fungi and she directed the conservation of the caves and their fresh goes and has spent her life learning from them. Kannan the exchange along the silk road enriched arjun life in china its good to learn from each other and be open to that thats how the world should be today to. Suit their hunting. But doing hong not only recalls chinas former greatness it also reminds us of one of the countrys greatest humiliations in the early 20th century european colonial powers robbed the caves of important manuscripts and scroll paintings which are now held in museums around the world. For kaiser 2000 at the time the chin dynasty was in decline and because chinas government was so weak the european researchers simply ignored the order not to remove the treasures from the caves 6. But for china it was an arduous ascent from the plaything of the west to a new global power that is now extending its reach westward. In doing long we see the ideological foundations of the new silk road a longing for the past grandeur and superiority over the west that was taken for granted by chinas rulers for thousands of years. Our trek continues following the path of this mecca project that china plans to extend halfway around the globe. We passed the jade gate the past that was once at the frontier where china ended and central asia began. The tang dynasty poet wang wei once wrote if you go further west you will see no more friends. For centuries chinas harbors have been its gateways to the world and those gateways have only grown. We boarded a ship to embark on the next stage of our journey along the maritime silk road. The harbor is enormous spot its just one of many in the country of the worlds 10 largest harbors 7 are in china. Some 25000000. 00 containers pass through shen gens harbor each year filled with goods headed around the world. Chinese tourists are flocking to new destinations too as we discover on our 1st stop the city of sihanoukville in cambodia. Its become popular with chinese looking for a beach vacation. Its an adventure paradise with all the sun the sea and shopping they could hope for. Playing. For many locals the sudden tourism boom in sihanoukville is a very mixed blessing people like sri german and business say they now feel like outsiders in their own home. Job or know what its terrible with all the chinese here theyre so badly behaved they are jealous that my pet now might affect our friends dont want to come here anymore there are too many chinese in just one year everything changed. More the chinese have taken over our city how mom how market now. It does appear that take over is underway chinese Construction Projects are transforming the city. Feel has practically vanished. The workers materials and plans for new projects are all imported from china how did this happen. Political scientist diviner of chang is one of the few cambodians willing to speak openly about the topic. The chinese. Government. Says through said. Process its not really transparent. We dont know much what. The chinese are here in force and locals are being crowded out we need business in the center of the city he used to run a small restaurant here but recently he had to give it up a Chinese Investor is building a hotel in its place. Rents downtown are soaring but the prices the chinese compay on affordable for locals like this now everyone he talks to has bad news for him. I saw your sign. I 30000. 00 a month. There is no way i can pay that kind of road not to mention water and electricity on top of it and i still havent paid my Childrens School fees only chinese can afford these rents soon there will be only chinese restaurants for chinese customers. Dont stand a chance you. See a new pill used to be a sleepy. Place. Thats all changed specially at night. The mood has shifted in the city there are more drugs on the streets more violence and a sense of unease disputes around between locals and chinese feel for it is preferred not to acknowledge the situation directly but they have put more police on the streets. Oh. My god what. In the presence of our camera team the police dont treat the locals and the chinese any differently but rumor has it that a small bride can help brush matters under the carpet. But the crime is on the rise thats true but we have things under control and response with lee when theres a problem cambodians and chinese dont really trust each other but thats not a big deal but sometimes theres a brawl and some chinese drive when theyve been drinking. Along with drinking theres a lot of gambling gambling is illegal for cambodians for chinese as well but only in china so some 80 casinos have sprung up overnight in c. And who fill huge sums of money are changing hands little of it trickles down to the locals which adds to the tension. When live by the reason issue and say are not real its there they stay. There nationalist sentiments they get china. And this has been spreading very fast because chinese the new chinese to cambodia similar to other parts of the world they dont adapt to local culture different from my chinese. 19 centuries which are willing to learn which. They create it to a local culture theres little sign of that here. See a new film is becoming the backdrop. Locals adjust extras while the leading roles a played by the chinese piano they enjoy freedoms that are often denied them at home. In china life is stricter and more regimented especially in the weaker region the city of cash car was once a major hub on the ancient silk road. For the caravans dar was a fabled stopping point marco polo praised the citys size and great beauty catch cars traders he wrote travelled the entire world and they crossed the karakoram mountains to the south and the t. On Shan Mountains into central asia because car was always special and it still is. The region is part of china but the majority of people are weaker a Muslim Minority that is deeply mistrusted by beijing. In front of one of the gates to the old city some people are performing a traditional weaker dance its popular with visitors from the rest of china. After the performance we approach one of the dancers and ask what he thinks of the city carter countries and all the ha ha ha ha ha. He tells us that life is good here but then we were interrupted a man comes over and stands. In front of our camera to prevent us from talking. The elderly man is intimidated by him and leaves. The cosmopolitan cashcard of old has become a city where mass surveillance is the norm our car is followed constantly. Police and state Security Forces monitor our every step and everyone we want to talk to. Chinas leaders see religious extremists lurking everywhere they shut down mosques and when allowed to remain open then only as museums. Some of the old city has already been demolished with more to follow. For weaker culture its a terrible loss. We were here 2 years ago and seen in this footage surveillance was widespread even then but we werent permitted to film in the old city now its off limits. Back then we saw how much care went into maintaining the old mud brick buildings. That. We also met up potter who lived and worked in a 400 year old house. Shaping the local clay on the wheel firing it in the kiln is a skilled craft and has a long tradition here. 6 if she did with i started here when i was 5 in the meanwhile i spent 50 years of my life in this workshop my family has been doing this for 6 generations. Tore soon soon told us that the chinese authorities planned to demolish the Old Buildings here all in the name of progress. It was good there are rumors that they want to change the district which they told me that ill get a modern building and i told them that wont work like that i cant make my pottery in a modern building. Because of the look at look. On this trip were not permitted to visit him and his family we dont know if his house is Still Standing or how he and his grandchildren are doing the grandchildren he hoped would follow in his footsteps. Everywhere we look the old weaker city is being torn down to make way for a new chinese one. Human rights organizations estimate that up to 1000000 readers are being held in socalled reeducation camps anyone who gets too close to one of these camps is forced to turn around or. China is venturing even further into other lands but it fears the influence of anything they see as different or foreign the country wants the Free Exchange of goods and capital but not of people and ideas what is happening in cashcard bodes poorly for chinas plans along the new silk road. China is seeking waters in short supply at home like role materials for its burgeoning industry that greed is difficult to quench on board a ship filled with 15000. 00 containers we continue our journey along the maritime silk road. And the next destination is myanma for decades it was a reclusive country that shunned outsiders but now it has become to draw more visitors keen to explore what the country has to offer for example from the app. It. The wide expanse that im fowles beneath us testifies to a rich history one of ancient kings and lost empires. We continue from bug on along the irrawaddy river to mandalay another city steeped in history. Life here can be a struggle coach o. Who wants to sell vase rock for the equivalent of 50000. 00 euros its wrong jade a coveted natural resource. Man man has the worlds richest jade mines in the north of the country jade miners work on the often desperate conditions thats not important to the bias here they care only about the stones quality. Last year the much of the tough because you cant buy hotel julie im not going to take you here by cutting back that the get it off. Color that outcome of the belt they drive a hard bargain they always give you a rock bottom bed want to ask 4100000 they are 20000 at most not a little and they wont go higher than 30000. 00 odd that they never lose they always win thats how it is we lose they wind up. By day he means the chinese man delays jade market is in chinese hands from the wrong stones to the finnish jewellery jade has been an important part of Chinese Culture for thousands of years. Coacher who is a middleman he wont reveal who sent him or how much he earns from the deal. He tries a 2nd sound. This time with rings. But here too hes turned away. Because. The chinese buyers are usually operating as middlemen to the actual customers are back at home in china. The rising chinese middle classes are hungry for status symbols the bids come by smartphone the online trade is a good creative business. I. Am often treasurer im not we have a direct link to china thats good because the people in line dont know much about jade and cant judge quality we bring the jade with us when we fly home but taxes are high and that gets to ducted from our profits if were wearing the necklaces or rings when we arrive we dont have to pay any taxes its. Coach who finally manages to celebrates let but he has mixed feelings about the business. That no one else had open the course its sad i got for selling our countrys treasures but theres no other way. Theyre very strong and were weak we need money and the chinese have money that lives in china jade is a symbol of good fortune as we watch the trading it does almost seem as though good fortune is leaving me a model for more prosperous shores. We go north to the catching hills theyre rich in jade mines and other resources that are highly sought after by myanmars powerful neighbor entire villages have been displaced and the lives of local people disrupted. The i. Thats whats happened to da job shes brewing a traditional drink thats believed to ward off colds menstrual complaints and impotence but its useless against dan johns current situation. Well i know that much but no medicine can fix our situation if we had a medicine that could do that full leave me i would brood every day. You know that of the gay world that you know i would give it to everyone free of charge you know yeah it isnt about a god but its not that simple. Instead local people have launched a protest movement. That signed some posters saying no damn. Tells them what. China has back to the construction of the launch dam projects near the source of the irrawaddy river many local people oppose it. Genius or tomorrow were going to join irrawaddy river is our lifeline it looks as though our own blood flows through it this river has to survive no one should be allowed to destroy it. Were fighting for the river and for ourselves we dont want. That battle is directed at this enormous concrete and steel structure rising from the water. Its the 1st stage in what was to be a major dam project 90 percent of the hydro power generated by the dam was to have been exported to neighboring china. The final cost of the project would have run into the billions. In the face of vehement opposition and yet mans government agreed to suspend the project much to the dismay of beijing. Johns entire village was resettled to make way for the dam. Ive come back to take a look at the pain they feel about being forced to leave their homes is still fresh. No no no. Well this is where we live going back generations in peace and quiet. Then they made us leave they still wont let us return because no one knows what will happen to the project. Im afraid will never be allowed to come back you know the chinese wont give up until they get there damn one day all of this will be underwater and gone forever. I mean. China is an economic powerhouse the country wields enormous financial clout and money brings political influence its hard for poor countries to assert their interests triangle is another case in point. At 1st glance all seems peaceful at this beach resort. With the breeze coming off the indian ocean the days seem to pass at an unhurried pace. Down below pushback amati is walking through his plantation. Hes always been a melon fama but he too was forced to move. Some of the a the i mean the middle of the jungle this is where im supposed to farm my fields in the middle of nowhere i used to have a good piece of land now its a part of. His life has been turned upside down along with many others who used to live in. The harbor expansion projects. One adopt their farms the villages protested to no avail and the promises to compensate them came to nothing. And. They never told us the truth. They took our land and said wed get jobs in the port. But the chinese have no work for us farmers they only have jobs for their own people. They are in control here no. I dont know that im. Sure lanka is heavily in debt it gave china control of hambantota on a 900 year lease in return the chinese cancelled a dent worth 1100000000. 00 the deal is controversial and rife with rumors some say beijing is planning to build a military base at this strategic location we are unable to find out more about whats happening at the port the visitors station was recently declared off limits to foreigners aloso good morning and we go to the viewing point. Very clearly theres a viewing point but here in tokyo its a remark thats ok if youre going to if youre paid its ok its ok. The port is big but its not as busy as china had hoped thats why a new directive was issued as a job creation scheme every car imported by sri lanka must enter through the port of hambantota. Even if the destination is on the other side of the country. One man is behind much of this mahinda rajapaksa. During his tenure as president of sri lanka he promoted deals with china. Rajapaksa i was born in a small town and the Hambantota District initiated many expensive Infrastructure Projects with little oversight now his home district has freeway overpasses with. Next to no traffic and roads that the rest of the country can only dream of with more livestock than vehicles on them. Theres a Convention Center that lies unused. At a hospital with doctors or patients all paid for with loans from china or. Iran or cooler to me has been studying this situation for years hes dismayed by water lanka has done for example they are giving us a little one of 600 rupees and they are taking 90 piece of that back to them and on top of that we are paying in interest its like i go to the bag i take a loan in the me look ill give you a 100 piece but you have to build your house according to this this and this and he had to buy all the bricks from me to take my people. And what it thats what is happening and then just 20 percent interest on top of that is where theres not really. It could to build a business. The projects are big and christophers but theyre not much of a calling card this man is the manager of whats being called the worlds emptiest International Airport also built with the help of a huge loan from china. Everything here is new its hardly been used weve never seen an airport like this before there are no lines of the check in counter no chaos at the luggage pickup no crowds. Travelling to sample it could be a relaxing experience if any flights came here. This says when we look for. 1000000. It will extend. Within the u. S. But so far we dont see any president you. Know we are using this a our board in this. Country like that. In future there will be fights. Theyve been waiting patiently since the airport opened in 2013. Its a theater of the absurd with the next act waiting in the wings the airport may soon follow the path of the local ports the chinese debt is a millstone around frank his neck and now theyre looking for Foreign Investors to take over. They are not giving anything to us simply because as i said before because they just want to help she let them know days obviously commercial plus particular interest in there. So what. The problem is what do we do. We need the cash we need investments and nobody is coming. True lanka has become a crossroads for the worlds Major Economic class. And that is having a profound impact on the lives of its people. The new silk road is forging ahead at a rapid pace its even cutting a path to the worlds highest mountain rangers we go to the karakoram highway in pakistan. At more than 4600 meters above sea level the pass is situated at the border between pakistan and china. The border gate looks like it could be part of the great wall of china but thats far away. Still the border here gives off an air of impenetrability. We compare our watches mine shows pakistan time 33. 00 the chinese soldiers are on chinas standard time. Of year after a 3 hour difference just a few steps away. Security is tight here. China believes it must protect itself against islamist extremism from pakistan. But chinese officials cross the border here as a matter of course the us. Just thought oh. Ok yes somewhat implausibly the chinese customs official claims hes not responsible for the crossing. The chinese v. I. P. s dont want to be filmed while they have their photographs taken and. Its as though we are still in china. The official also refuses an interview. The next chinese truck returning from pakistan doesnt arrive until the afternoon. This is supposed to be a hub on a major trade route but the new silk road doesnt seem to be living up to its billing it everywhere or not greenback any good so even if they dont have anything usually our truck is empty when we come back with me. On the way to pakistan lease songs container was full of clothing and electronics now its empty its a risky route for such a small return and there are dangerous spots there are very tight curves along the way where our containers practically graze the cliffs and sometimes there are Falling Rocks its dangerous the u. A. E. Give a shit. The truck bears traces of the hazards of the karakoram highway. The truck continues on board to china we stay in pakistan. We have a Police Escort as we continue on to an enormous construction site. With the 1st western Television Crew thats been permitted to film here. Its a long drive through a beautiful but dangerous landscape. China and pakistan have been building this road for some 10 years now but its not clear what purpose it will serve a few empty trucks hardly seem to justify it its a very tenuous strand on the new silk road. The karakoram mountains also seem to prefer their isolation Falling Rocks often damage the road which then has to be repaired. In january 2010. A massive landslide killed 20 people in the village of out of body and it blocked the loser river creating a large lake a section of the karakoram highway ended up under rocks and water. From the highway was rerouted through the mountains before setting out to cross the alps with a team of elephants cannibals supposedly said i shall find a way or i will build one his goal was to conquer rome is the new silk road part of a modern day plan for conquest. In the past only the most courageous travelers attempted to cross the car core mountains. Even today time seems to have stood still in the remote villages of the huns a valley. Many traditions are kept alive here but the villagers fear that when the highway is finished their way of life will be under threat. We dont see a lot of trade along the route and what we do see is more reminiscent of the caravans of the ancient silk road. There are a few trucks on the road many are painted and decorated as is custom here. The road has come at a very high price pakistan is deeply in debt to chinese banks and construction firms. But china is also paying a price. This cemetery holds the graves of Chinese Workers who died on the construction sites. It resembles a Military Cemetery these workers were chinese soldiers is that another sign that a conquest is underway. After 600 kilometers we reached the construction site where another stretch of road is being carved into the mountains. The drills carving out space for the next blast are extremely loud but none of the workers wear ear protection perhaps thats the least of their worries the tunnel is not stable and the danger of Falling Rocks is ever present. Day to day dont show hole i also have a hard time sleeping especially when something unexpected has happened and i cant sleep with the same holds for everyone else here at the construction site in our bosses in beijing local in 2000 a large about. 7000 pakistanis work here and 1200 chinese theres chinese food in the canteen and Chinese State television but their families are thousands of kilometers away and the Internet Connection is unreliable they go without a low. Arent you asleep yet can you hear me this time how does the. Battle connection lets just get it out of course i miss my home but we have no choice. I need to be back i cant go home until im finished here. And the managers who are overseeing this enormous construction project live and work in a former hotel its been turned into a fortress. Pakistans government is worried about the safety of the chinese. People in the morning we meet wang who needs the head engineers hes been working on the project for 10 years now confucius said the man who moves the mountain begins by carrying away small stones thats what beijing is demanding of one day after day. Sure just its a race against time but did you hear me we hardly get any bricks tall we work from Early Morning to 11 at night and never get a day off to it dont see it shemale shushi it up. Long cui wants to show us a special construction site. This is where we finally realize why china is bothering to carve a road into the mountains. Theyre building a corridor through pakistan. The head engineer brings us to an enormous bridge 60 meters above ground. Weve got a lot of it in. This section of bridge being brought in weighs 140 tons eventually this bridge will be part of the new road piece by piece bridge by bridge china is approaching its goal direct access to the arabian sea. Just like the roman empire consolidated its power with the imperial roads china is building for its own empire. That. The view from this height is dizzying as is the plan to build a road over some of the highest mountains on earth. The idea would. One day ill show my son and daughter where i fought and struggled to college i built this road and that will be a very proud family dont they dont do all that for. China is determined to forge ahead and have a father. And thousands of kilometers still live before us. And thousands of north to go miles all the way into europe. As the new silk road reaches westward it brings hope and begets protest. In pump to we continue on journey along the new silk road from tempest on to do spoke. Ico africa. The correct way to prune coffee bushes. The movement in bloom you are both believed to have you got for this is the food for an outdoor Training Session at the Climate Academy in kenya. The Fairtrade Foundation is showing farmers how to work economically despite the effects of climate change. To. 30 minutes d. W. Entering the conflict zone with Tim Sebastian. Ill be challenging those in college asking tough questions demanding arms. As conflicts intensify ill be meeting with keep players on the ground in the sciences and. Gushing through the rhetoric holding the fossil to account facts of the conflict zone. Conflict zone with Tim Sebastian on t. W. Im not laughing at the germans because sometimes i am but most are laughing with me but i dont think deep into the german culture of. Nudity take this drama day i believe because they pulled out who they know i might go join me i mean the devil invented. Course. This is live from berlin fresh protests on the streets of hong kong today. Democracy leaders mobilize tens of thousands of demonstrators this time to make their point to shoppers arriving from Mainland China also on the program. The Iran Nuclear Deal is on life support to iran announces if the raise your reign human richmond levels a clear breach of the agreement aimed at preventing iran from developing nuclear weapons
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