Transcripts For DW DocFilm 20240714

Facebook t. W. Africa. Chinas legendary silk road was one of the wonders of the ancient world now this trade route is being brought back to life on the new silk road is a vast undertaking and a demonstration of power and the 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 represents opportunity for others misery. China is reaching toward the west. Along the new silk road we retraced 2 of these routes traveling from china to germany from the city of shenzhen to the city of to spork. We travel thousands of kilometers overland to central asia. And resale to thousands of kilometers across the oceans of Southeast Asia following the major overseas trade routes. We have traveled great distances but europe is still far away. And. We retrace the route of the caravans heading West Crossing remote passes in the 2 young Shan Mountains. Its a journey into the past along the ancient silk road. A route that today is marked by hope and opportunity and by burdensome debts and dependence on china. And. The route followed by the ancient traders and their caravans was filled with danger. There are arrival at tosh robot gave them a temporary respite. Here they found food and shelter and were able to Exchange Goods and information about the journey ahead. Of. The markets of kyrgyzstan still bare traces of this history. Of. Baku back back to iraq is a nomad a day ago he left his yurt near song called lake. Early this morning here arrived at the market in cos core the full force of all of. This is the main trading season many come here from afar to make their purchases and then they bring the honor most to kazakhstan. Dont cause us to leave the. Uk lubeck enjoys the bustle of the market after the silence of his home near the lake and. Hes planning to buy a horse. And he knows exactly what hes looking for. On a. Small. You have to stroke them because theyre like that to see if it stays calm when i stroke it and then i know itll do what i ask you to do because it is a little tough. But the purchase will have to wait a coup back has invested in the promises of the new silk road and thats pushed him to the financial brink. Much the same as has happened to the country of kyrgyzstan. He invites us to visit his home to find out more. The wide expanse is all wild and untamed to untangle the government believes to improve infrastructure its gone deeply into debt with Chinese Companies. In the early evening back and his grandchildren round up the herd. The family has bought 3 new yorks with their savings. In the company. Of. Their intended for tourists who wanted venture and a taste of the simple life. But the mission were not afraid of anything. She alone has already improved here in the last 8 years and that our standard of living is much higher now. Would in the. Day we do. The family hopes that money and affluence will come from the tourists who booked overnight stays here and the chinese who have promised to invest on a grand scale. In india i believe the silk road still exists. Because the those values still exist so thats a fact. Every country can profit from cradle long the silk road as is. But what if these hopes are not fulfilled in the search for a better life things of great value might also be lost. At the world nomad games tradition still holds sway. By mark and his master nor back our local celebrities norbeck raised in the falcon and says its like a son to him but nor back needs the falcon every bit as much as the falcon. When i remove the hood. Spray and flies to capture it. He sees for me. It into it. Thats true or that it might 1st seem norbeck look how can are is blind. Norbeck took gold at the 28000 world nomad games his brother on back knows who they have to thank for it. We were hoping for 3rd place and everyone was shocked when we took gold. Nor back has promised to show his nephew some of the tricks of the trade. That. The family is proud of their showing at the nomad games. But they also wonder whether theyll be able to maintain their culture and traditions. We dont need gold we need clean water the mountains earth its nature. So far our people havent seen any good come of the Chinese Investment thats why were taking to the streets thats why theres been arson. On april 11th 2018 there was a violent protest over a gold mine built in cause im on with Chinese Investment. In doing anything in the woods with about a 1000 people were here and they lost their patience. They dont listen to anyone. They burned the building to the ground. I mean this is whats left of the gold rush obviously some village elders are willing to speak with us. They brought documents to show what the Chinese Mining Company has been planning what sparked the weeks of protest against. The old soviet era mine was believed to contain some 40 tons of gold. The chinese wanted to take it over but local say they had no permits. From 50 of them is consistency is it gets our land here guess what and why should we give our land to a bunch of chinese with no permits it is leading to skin break. Up to 7 tons of gold might lie beneath this field full of mining waste. The soviets mind using toxic sodium cyanide. Could that account for the cases of cancer in the village and what were the chinese planning the village elders say the kyrgyz as authorities answered none of these questions. The government didnt investigate all the illnesses here they just want chinese money they dont care about us that. Everyone from the chinese to the kyrgyz government wants a share of the golden cause im on. In the end the chinese left. This time. But the flow of goods is awakening hopes along the new silk road the Chinese Initiative wants to vastly increase the amount of freight transported by rail. And theyre planning many new cargo relay junctions to transfer containers to the gauge of the russian made track. Along the maritime silk road we find ourselves at another junction thousands of kilometers from china a country has now gained access to another deep sea port some 40 percent of the worlds oil passes through here for china the port of quite dark is another base in its string of pearls. Such on how good morning in chinese the teacher. Started in china a stroke of good fortune because thats now come in handy here in quite dark aftab wants to help others here reap the same benefits without a lot of. When i was sighted i didnt have this opportunity to learn in my hometown learn chinese but they have so. We have our if our children really can be good. Chinese. Have Good Business to deal with that this school has facilities that many others in the country can only dream of all financed with money from beijing china is investing in the young people off pakistan. For aftab teaching is only a sideline hes actually an engineer and he has plenty of work to keep him busy china and pakistan are building for the future each in their own way. It is the force on the side of the chinese on the pakistan or the except you get. An awful lot. But the working poor and. Yet the big muff dont provide it but this. And i can tell. 2 you they were building a road to china. One day ill be able to drive home on it you. Know silk road will bring us together were friends that you might do to help. The chinese maybe friends but theyre under guard on the construction sites and elsewhere in the city block to stand is a conflict zone where violence and terrorism are rife foreigners are especially at risk many locals regard them as invaders and not investors. So we stand here is a very deliberate. Target states dont place yourself for sure we go the. 3 chinese engineers died in that attack jango i was young. As a businessman and he knows that a lots at stake here for both countries people cannot move freely. That theyre free flee the big b. The 2nd to achieve will be affected power on the other side please understand that. The army and the army are responsible persons. Was sent here to turn quite dark into a transit hub china has signed a 40 year lease on the port but its conditions are being kept largely out of public view we are not permitted to film on the site where dark has clear Strategic Value as a gateway to the arabian sea but its unclear whether chinas interest is only an economic one some believe it might also have military significance for beijing. Or you. Know this and i dont know what do they are scared of. You know china. Is really pissed about the country. I think it is. And you see we dont have any history of crossfire and introduce. The chinese presence is impossible to overlook and more on the way the China Communications Construction Company is planning more projects here the construction giant has big plans in what i. And i think are wrong 5000 people are going to come Chinese People going to go on but for this project i think maybe 802 like this it will come for this. Its going to be like a little china town just definitely china. Ya ya grew up in quite dark after studying in. He returned home for him the arrival of the chinese spells an opportunity. To visit a tree fair to say good morning to you father what a good space definitely youre walking in a new quad to your morning toward our future and theres a future bob youre part of it. Definitely on there you know following a member of this. This optimistic outlook cant be taken for granted in guatemala but for other people here peace and prosperity seem but a dream they fear theyve been forgotten and will keep falling further behind. And they feel deep resentment of those who are proclaiming the arrival of a new golden future of the world live by the chinese only care about their own interests they want to make a lot of money here they dont care about what happens to the poor to us maybe one day they know why yeah money arsenical good. Theyre taking everything. Right our doesnt belong to us anymore they take in the ocean from us the land theres nothing left men like us have no work no think. The arrival of the chinese seems to a further split the region some stand to benefit others to lose everything. We resume our journey 98 percent of all goods on the new silk road are transported by ship the advantages of a maritime route ill weigh the risks just as they did centuries ago. Ships sent out from sewer to Distant Shores turning on man into a trading empire ship building also has a long history here but the wooden dowel but said vanishing the last dour shipyard insua is run by the alligator me family theyre keeping the traditional life down servant nasty town. Boy also cotton seals the gaps between clanks collets family had been building downs for generations. Ministers. Its in our blood and we passed it on to roger god willing well continue doing this work for a long time. They build without a plan creating the entire ship from memory and the work is done by hand as its always been. The reputation of a Ship Builders is keeping the tradition alive times are changing machines have replaced sales but for us seafaring in trade is still an important traditional. But the good. Old man has a rich history and thanks to all the countries wealthy today but only oil reserves are finite what will happen after theyre gone we continue through the desert pressing forward through the heat and sand. Finally we reach water in the very modern shipyard where at the dried dock into come. Ships are repaired here and readied for the next voyage the former fishing village has become a major hub on the new silk road. A truly give me a different tell you see in. Europe shipped from a critic from issue as the. Way the fish have been employed cause a lot for that and that to me. Its nearby. And it begins to. Them is now an economic free zone which offers incentives to investors from all over the world including china. Its up to law heck man his job to bring in the chinese investors he says the chinese have a vision and energy. China is the out of it levers and also very active. Theory of fast sometimes you will feel them they out of fairness know what then. But in the diet they put a bit of their little ground. And then they have a beard there that they dont get to be able to walk. After that they would have stopped just to see the area there isnt much to be seen yet but the china oman Industrial Park is shantel to go up here manufacturing facilities Pipelines Oil fields and a hospital out of thin air. At least there are even street but frankly its a real fire yet very ambitious. Stuff just now working on. A cluster of containers in the middle of nowhere this is just the beginning inside 2 men share a space of 12 square meters. Theyre far from home but earning good money. Wages here are quite a bit higher than in china. So are they happy here. Blue on we chinese are industrious people when they see that thats not the case when it comes to our Foreign Workers to look out there because the 2 will be honest theyre a bit lazy. To tell them bluntly that it will be the only good little. Workers from all over the region that have come to work you know mark. Used to low wages or home their appliable workforce. But. When you come from from bangladesh and new zealand if youre. Going to. Ive. Got some. Work some doctors are coming here this is. The man almost seem to be marching information theyll work under the brutal desert sun to bring chinas planned to fruition but most of them have never heard of the new silk road theyre working to feed their families back at home. The grand visions they leave to the chinese. Here are very important to understand the. Place you know at this time is governments push the Chinese Companies that enterprises go all out of the country why is all the one belt one road one also known as the new silk road demand sacrifices from the chinese to we work here half a year we have the one week asia we can call to our family or we also you know why did our family. Our family to hear but no hear no place maybe after a while we can bring or a family new family is to hear. They are seeking their fortunes here in the desert and adding another link to chinas new silk road. Some are con the city of stone. It was also a stop along the route of the ancient silk road. After the harsh terrain of the tian Shan Mountains summer cond welcomed the caravans with one of the wealthiest civilizations of central asia. A lot of them will. Leave. The madrassas of samarkand are still overflowing with gold and ornate decorations. Were meeting one of these becker stands backers of the new silk road. But i bet austin often speaks excellent german and will be our translator into our guide tonight hes serving cloth peel off the traditional feast. Deserves. The silk road didnt only transport ideas but also disseminated ideas and recipes for a prof. When people from spain come to his breakfast down are served proff they say oh this is spanish by you know. How you know. Plus is traditionally eaten with the fingers not so easy for a left hander. Among traditionally we eat our food with our right hand because. I should have known. Everywhere in samarkand there are signs of how far west we ventured. The influence of ancient persia is also visible everywhere 7. Beca stand was once the center of an empire. In the 12th and 13th centuries culture and scholarship flourished here. Timor also known as tom alain was a great patron of art and culture and a brutal tyrant. His tomb is still an object of veneration. Boy back has taken us to the bazaar of the kata a place filled with Hidden Treasures from old sock on. He picks up a small dusty binder almost at random. In the dining room to youre Holding History in your hand that tells a 1000 years old 900 years old is 700 years old 200 years old. The coins come from far and wide china persia greece theyre a testament to the travel and trade that shaped the region over the centuries. To do this is all to prove for them this is just old plunder for me its history each item tells a beautiful story from the days of the old silk road just and its just one of the oldest books according to our modern day calendar is from the 17th century so. I find a very sad when these books are bought by tourists and end up in europe somewhere they should stay here we need to build museums for the. Most when we see an organism. We continue onward these cotton fields white gold. Stand has long been accused of using forced labor in the cotton harvest they say thats no longer the case but taking pictures here is still prohibited. We wonder how carefully factory owners are monitoring compliance with labor laws. This new factory process is wrong cotton into thread. The managers come from china the high tech equipment from germany built and run by the chinese with high tech equipment made in germany from Companies Recently bought out by the chinese only the workers and the cotton are from here. Already away. 3 we invested here because the cost for water electricity gas and wages is much lower in to speculate on that in china. You know the room Material Cotton is also a lot less expensive him. I usually say to me. China is buying high tech equipment from germany and cheap labor from pakistan. China is also benefiting from tax breaks. But what about the end product. One in geo lu spec german forum for human rights claims that abuses are ongoing. Their companies from its own from around here are fortunately or where do you buy it from. Joy in georgia from the state trade center is that government sets the price you watch or just. The chinese dont want to know more. The gone goes to factories to be manufactured into products made in china. Consumers wont be told where the cotton came from. Perhaps thats always been the case on the silk road. The value of the goods is what counts not where or how it was made. We continue onward to the bosphorus where asia ms and europe begins. The afternoon sun paints istanbul in a golden light. The writer on pommel has said that istanbul is marked by a special melancholy a kind of hazy memory of lost rendering coupled with decay. 7 the last capital of the Ottoman Empire was a jewel on the ancient silk road the caravans arrived here filled with treasures that ended up in the citys palaces and bazaars. Candied fruit. Exotic fragrances. All of that and more can still be found it is then goes by so market. Lulay isnt interested in that right now. Shes a natural optimist but today is putting a dent in that. She runs a shop in the asian market nearby the risen isnt going well after a few hours a customer buy something she ordered from china. Since the start of the economic crisis and the collapse of the turkish lira everythings changed. On holiday i used to have customers lining up to get in and lines at the Cash Register people would hurry to pay theyd get here early to be 1st in the door those were the days now days hours can go by without a customer sounds and. Cool. You lay still has a boat from the days when business was booming to women but perhaps shes been in istanbul long enough to have acquired some of the citys melancholy and its memory of better days. The chinese who come to the city today are brimming with optimism their vision of the future extends well past istanbul and into the heart of europe. Theyre not interested in souvenirs theyre planning a high speed rail corridor through the balkans that will help open the door to chinese goods and influence. That were on the outskirts of belgrade but it almost feels like china. Employees of the China Railway company are standing at attention. With the whole for the state owned company this is the flagship project even though theyve been avoiding publicity. Why are they building a new high speed rail link between belgrade and budapest. Head towards us. We chinese have a great deal of experience when it comes to modernizing old rail lines you will observe local rules and standards here as well as e. U. Regulations thats the normal process we follow on any construction project it onto by going to do what. Its apparent that who young young is choosing his words carefully. And this construction site is one of the most unusual weve encountered on our journey. A single excavator is clearing the old Railway Track bed in front of a watching crowd of chinese. But perhaps today is giving a mistaken impression. This construction site is supposed to be chinas gateway to the heart of europe. We continue onward to hungary. Our train isnt a high speed link yet. Why is china moving toward europe what will it mean for its citizens and why is the Railway Project so expensive. We have an appointment with someone who has been studying the project for quite some time. More than a 1000000000 euro for such a long stretch seems rather high doesnt it the sun be a real flat flute souters new to build on the tools or anything for jesus its a very very simple as a river i mean from the engineering point of view says indeed super expensive and the belief in religion over just. The projects model is a familiar one chinese banks are making loans in Chinese Companies are doing the building others will be left with the bill therefore there is still the underoos some of the old just a little johnny saw a little child listening to you repeating the sounds you turn to this is a win win situation its actually means the china east was. This elusive. These concerns dont seem to worry hungarys government while europe appears mired in self doubt admiration for the chinese system is growing the chinese way of business may be ruthless and antidemocratic but it gets results quickly this model is now making inroads in europe travelling along the new silk road. We now passed through the suez canal to reach europe by the maritime route many cities in europe are vying to become the next gateway for the new silk road ma say in the south of france stands a good chance. We arrive at a village near the port a chinese village built out of containers on the edge of ma say. I. The ma Say International Fashion Center is a center for textile wholesalers who deal in fashions made in asia. Madame chong is a wholesaler who occupies one of the containers she sends her wares to shops across france while the country may be famous for. Shes doing a booming business weve got a lot of that stuff. Yesterday and real magician up maybe think todays made in china from the Big Companies to the luxor relabels its all made there and sent here nothings made in france and you know. We work hard and were proud of that the entire world knows that the chinese are industrious and hard workers and our quality is improving all the time. If they still work the chinese arent clock watches. Europe is hungry for fashionable clothing at low prices china is thirsty for expensive wine. I dont make the ones i enjoy the one. Big a big part of a big part of working in wine is you do need the Business Aspect thats very important for Decision Making but also its it is an art it is an appreciation of lifestyle and if you can never forget that or else it becomes a little too. And you lose the magic. The magic of wine brought howard kwok to bore down 10000 kilometers from. The vineyard here belongs to him as does the wine hes the youngest child of an entrepreneur based in hong kong the family has been snapping up wineries in Southwestern France for years that latest acquisition is chateau berry foam bed ca and a state that includes almost 14 had tens of vines. Its magnificent weve noticed this properties as 2010 every time we tried we looked at. You know if only if and now where its our turn since 2015 we thought one almost every year 151617 of at this moment we want to or we need to. Restore and clean up the existing properties we have that will be our number one goal and what i think building our brand as well once thats done i think i think all is possible were willing to consider consider more offers. And. If we go to the market its a center of commerce and of local concert when it comes to the topic of the chinese presence in bordeaux many here have strong opinions. Global warming. Generalities you want its terrible it will try to remember. Where you are shocked oh more wine. Of the what would you say in germany or favored by the Brandenburg Gate if you dont know if you dont. Approve of. De do both use soon came here 12 years ago france is now. But she doesnt feel like she completely belongs here. Still she takes that in her stride off it is if thats enough money is enough its understandable the french dont know us were strangers the chinese have a warm heart but were a bit reserved. Chinese people tend to stick to their own kind im different im married to a frenchman and speak the language that makes it easier watch his off it while on the. Plane. Fire how well. It was for a husband fabrice tries his hand at some chinese. But dale ends up translating. The group are students and knology the science of wine and wine making. Theyre here to learn about french wine making china is importing knowledge not just wine. The Chinese Market has grown more diverse over the years for example china is a key importer of sweet white wines which we make here out of our late harvest. Our sales figures for these products our story and the Chinese Market is clearly the driving force behind that. Local material to says. This is new here i care a lot about this business and the wine is perfect not just sweet but with an interesting aroma perfect for chinese who are just learning to enjoy wine it was the 1st you have bought it if you dont know what. The couple have bridged the gap between china and france personally and professionally so whos the driving force behind the business side of things. A chinese proverb says men are in charge of the big things women handle the details but 90 percent of my presume the details. So there you have it. At times the new silk road ends up in rather unexpected places. After thousands of kilometers over land and sea we finally end up induce. A city in germanys industrial heartland that has seen its fortunes decline now its on the map again to spork is home to europes largest in little port thanks to china its fast becoming europes main logistics hub. In china is also a choir. Stakes in german companies. The harbor c. E. O. Eric schmidt aka sees both risks and opportunities. Down the zine does on the on the name its not right that our companies cant acquire more than a 50 percent share in Chinese Companies but the chinese can purchase 100 percent of european companies. So im critical or worried that in the end its a political question with us especially for europe thick with all of the old patient politics. The new silk road has made promises of prosperity and growth to many people. But chinas ambitions and the speed at which it is moving forward also pose risks that doubts will be ignored traditions will be cast aside and that many will simply be left behind. The new silk road is a project with global ambitions and its impact will be felt around the wild. Believe. Me may not look that appetizing. But theyre very popular with our mail. C. Q. Congress. Is during a Sea Creatures are found inside a madagascar. The chording district ecological regulation. Because they know there are rules safeguarding naturalist. 39. Ers. Own 2 moons of species. A home worth saving could. Get those are big changes and most start with small steps they can. Do is tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world. But news that can turn the good news to green Image Solutions and resource or should be. Interactive content to choose the next generation doesnt want to touch on. The losing channels available to inspire people to get out. And more determined to build something here for the next generation the idea is feeling barmen series of global 3000 on d w and online. The but. This is d w news live from berlin france celebrates but still day with a vast display of pomp pageantry and military prowess or get the latest from the french capital also coming out of india prepares to launch a mission to the moon its hoping to inspire a new generation of would be astronauts. And as clashes erupt again between police and trojan mafiosi protesters a top cop to get some analysis of the ongoing situation