Click save is situated in chinas far west on the border with central asia for centuries this Mountain Lake was a strategic transit point along the legendary silk road that ran between europe and the chinese empire. For the nomads living around the lake the opening of the new silk road is in some ways history repeating itself. Trucks have replaced the caravans of the past on the newly built highway and. The ambitious project was launched by chinese president xi jinping during a visit to kazakhstan in two thousand and thirteen. Remission only arc of what things you didnt see. Me show before its all. Father and. Jaguar haw well known kay young transhuman of them was. Hold on jerusha such hold gentle back trisha fall for you and. Your body to me that. The new silk road planned by xi jinping runs for ten thousand kilometers on road and on rail it crosses western china kazakhstan russia and will run all the way to europe its a huge construction site. But what are chinas true intentions behind this mega project. Limited by the idea in my opinion this project will change the development of the economy and society but it will definitely have long term geopolitical implications to judea. And. The new silk road crosses central asia the russian sphere of influence. All of the near putin than the xi jinping regularly affirmed their geo Strategic Alliance but this new chinese project could have a massive impact on the relationship between the two countries and in the long term it could do the same to the power balance in the whole of eurasia. Group in the past the silk road was called the axis of the world if you control that road you control the world. China has. Chosen the city of chang xing as the starting point for its new silk road. With a population of around thirty five million almost as many as beijing and shanghai combined shown showing is chinas largest urban area. Few people in the west have actually heard of chong xing but this mega city on the young sea river is a symbol of the economic boom the country has been experiencing for the past thirty years. While growth is tapering off in the Major Industrial centers of long show and shenzhen shown shing is proving every day a new that its one of the future engines of chinas economic development. Growth has long been based on heavy industry with cheap labor from the countryside. But in recent years the megacity has put all its Energy Behind the giants of the electronics industry. Thanks to this transformation junction can now boast a growth rate in double figures. And thats all our laptops are launched he produced in chongqing the one doc company has three factories in china chain with around fifteen thousand employees feel this factory has three thousand two hundred employees. We mainly produce a select ops of people. A good feeling that the laptops you buy in france and germany are all produced a. Body they made at all those documents and. On their journey from chung xing to europe the computers have to to travel. Thousand kilometers over land to reach the coast then theyll be at sea for at least a month on the South China Sea the strait of malacca and the suez canal. But in practice two months often go by between the time a computer emerges from the factory in china and is sold in europe. That gave rise to the idea of reviving the Overland Route of the silk road that once ran through western China Central asia and russia. The shortening of the transport period isnt the only goal of this new silk road tensions are growing in the South China Sea between beijing and its neighbors taiwan japan and the philippines and even with the unpredictable United States of donald trump an alternative route is becoming vital for china. A change president xi jinping has emphasized the great significance of chong ching for global and Asian Pacific logistics chong ching is to become a hub for inland logistics that will be open to the outside to. Follow quality. Junk shing has a clear directive to turn away from the sea and look west. Thats also symbolized by kilometers erode which marks the starting point of the new silk road. In order to supply this new route to the west with goods the city has built logistics facilities to replace the container ports on the coast. At this central freight terminal we send around a thousand contain us every day to other chinese provinces and to other countries. And were responsible for the safety of these operations are made here on every week three or four trains leaf a deuce in germany workers are. Carrying around forty one can take. The for us sounds on. The electronic goods loaded on to the trains here arrive in germany after just twelve days instead of traveling eight weeks by sea. However transporting goods by rail costs twice as much two hundred and fifty trains like this one are necessary to carry the same volume as a single container ship. At the moment this train to germany has more of a symbolic significance but its a symbol thats important to a china thats looking west not least to put a convincing case for xi jinping this project to both the domestic audience and chinas Economic Partners with european elderado as its end point the new silk road that travels through china for more than two thousand five hundred kilometers will also help develop the countrys infrastructure or so its hoped. This new transport route that combines road and rail will connect and boost regions in western china beyond long joe. Wild west of huge expansion and one that was left behind by the Economic Reforms of the past twenty years. The city of london joel is the gateway to chinas wide open west here the new silk road is taking on the characteristics of a marshall plan. The new oversized neighborhoods empty as yet suggest affluence. Between the life size replicas of the sphinx and the parthenon the governments propaganda is regurgitated by all. Lying i seriously torture law the new silk road will fuel the economy culture and got strong to me the city of leisure will become more attractive as will be proven. And the little did us one sit on the new silk road is a collective and therefore a political project thats very promising was a knock on the ball in light of the stagnating Economic Growth that official figures say at seven percent but in reality its four percent the Chinese Government needs a new impulse to prove that its in control of this major project or. The the worlds second largest economy china is in reality a colossus with feet of clay and threatened by uncontrolled social developments. Only an economic Success Story benefiting the entire country can keep it together. But this growth is based on the export of products that are made in china and these seriously declined since the Global Economic squeeze china has to change its economic model and that means it has to develop its. Mastic market last it has to invest in the infrastructure needed to promote the exchange of goods in just ten years china has built eighty thousand kilometers of highways. The rural road network in the east is impressive but to open up the market to the west there is just one possible route between the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau and the gobi desert. Thats exactly where the new silk road runs. Its a unique transport link and indispensable when it comes to connecting the province of shinji young which means new border to the rest of the country in the arid semi desert expanses of western china beijing and the Central Government were always very far away. But today the new silk road is creating change its altering the concept of time and ultimately it will change the lives of the people here. Feel that they come from all over the country from sheen john chait john shanghai. Beijing and even from the northeast were in a favorable transport location which is good for business in every regard. Just ten years ago we were still in our home village but we moved to the city to make money when the Economic Reforms came. Home regionally did in unison china is undergoing a radical shift particularly in the west of the country and inching jang all these cities being built in the desert are cities with skies great those are the numerous theyre moving. And theres a lot of activity everywhere. Lights and even music and coyote vasu its in the car ward he is of it i was at this. Its a message to the chinese population is to attract people to these remote areas of the us the privileged and so and so. To make it possible for people to move to the remote province of shin jiang or to trade their beijing has extended its high speed train along the entire new highway. The travel time for the two thousand kilometers between lunch show and room she is now at just ten hours down from forty. Five thats. The first that. Such as. China now possesses the largest High Speed Rail Network in the world with a length of twenty thousand kilometers three hundred billion dollars was invested in ten years that corresponds to almost the entire annual budget of a country like france. The route of the new silk road is among the newest its been in operation since two thousand and fourteen. The high speed route to sheen jiang swallowed a lot of money and itll never be Cost Effective but for beijing the benefit lies elsewhere firstly its political because this route really affirms the desire to connection jiang more closely to the rest of the country. And it also sends a message to neighboring states because china sees itself as the builder of an International HighSpeed Network to run from russia to central asia and iran. The route currently ns at the cutting edge Railway Station in odum cheek the provincial capital the station has very strict security measures in place. And. Thats because she is not a conventional chinese province there are frequent tensions between the leaders the local Muslim Minority and the han chinese who make up the vast majority of the population in the rest of the country. And attacks violent riots and economic and religious imbalances the region combines all the ingredients for a highly explosive Cocktail Police roadblocks and military checkpoints secure the new silk road here with strict controls. Moscow. Beijing believes the two cornerstones of peace inching jiang are domestic security and massive Growth Without peace this province cannot become a springboard for chinese interests in central asia with the support of the government the plan is for whom she to become a Regional Center every two years a large trade fair is held to promote the new silk road. The stands are all tailored to attracting visitors from neighboring countries and all dutifully recite the official text to sell the chinese dream. Which. Yes this model shows what our Economic Zones will look like when the project is complete. Since. This is how itll be done its our goal to get businesses from the five countries of central asia that surround us to come here at the start of the year we presented down project in russia and kazakhstan Many Companies signalled their interest in our free trade zone it was easy to get ya. Modern machines young is having positive effects on the development along the new silk road beijing wants to exploit this to prove its competence and experience and building up the infrastructure Economic Zones and the Important Energy sector. To do that Big Chinese Companies are needed such as gold wind the number one when it comes to wind energy gold wind is run by will guns. And there will missions that course were in the drop on chang wind farm inching junk its one of the best wind farms in the world its twenty to thirty kilometers wide and eighty kilometers long i should say the special thing about this place is its constant wind speeds feet around of and. Its ideal for a wind farm five year issues of only if i didnt see reason that. The success of gold wind is a classic example of the chinese economic miracle move is a pioneer who built his first Wind Turbines thirty years ago he bought a German Company which resulted in a cleverly negotiated transfer of Technology Today gold. And is the biggest maker of Wind Turbines in the world. At a time when the Energy Market is in a state of completely unprecedented transition his business is perfectly placed. To loose a true many sources of green yuval energies along the entire new silk road in kazakhstan or pakistan or even turkey which will be on the border hazardous attack dog or. Theres wind and solar energy everywhere the geo quiz out how to pay on the phone thats fatal to. Pull the rope in your yard developing wind energy further costs a lot of money the chinese plan on a completely different scale weve seen that with their solar panels everythings big. They have a real Strategic Vision were lacking that in europe. One things clear long term strategies are easier to implement if youre an authoritarian stable government. The new silk road follows in the long tradition of a planned economy pursued by chinas communist party. Our health and well at first glance the politics behind the new silk road have the mark of xi jinping in that it strengthens his power and his reputation in the budget in the long term it stands for a changing china just what she dates about those have been going on in the economic circles since two thousand and eleven she should say to our this project will have consequences and far into the future and implementing it will take decades so yeah this doesnt just affect she jinping when it affects his successes to actually get them a g. P. S. Unit now when i just know that she and. Her its another five hundred kilometers from room she to the cause a border. The border town of quarter goss is situated at the end of the highway. Goss has an old custom station and riders who arent fazed by anything. But china wants to give its new image a visual representation in the form of a huge arch under which the new silk road will soon run. Beyond this triumphal arch is kazakhstan thats where the International Dimension of the chinese project begins. Here the new silk. Road is still a construction site but just three years after she jingping this proclamation the continuation of the chinese road is easy to imagine shannon bell machine is one of the main players in this ongoing project hes a frenchman of moroccan origin and an employee of d. P. World a group of Companies Based in dubai and one of the worlds leading logistics organizations i am while china is behind me almaty in kazakhstan is in front of me a mighty to the left of me is kyrgyzstan and beyond it was becky stan i have russia to my right called gosss at the center between all of these countries this is where everything is happening. And he shambled much she works for the cause a government which is hoping to get a lot out of the new silk road. Its a road that could turn this middle of nowhere into an outpost of globalization. Zero and on the often so if theres any place that symbolizes the meeting of east and west its this one city. That is on the table while the chinese tracks and behind me at. The kazakhs tracks start to my left like you did one dont defeat from here you can get to beijing shanghai eon young young and ningbo and from here you can get to almighty a stana russia and europe. In quarter goes the chinese containers are loaded onto cars a Freight Trains which run on a narrower gauge the russian gauge a leftover of the soviet era from here the goods can reach anywhere in central asia home to a number of countries the size of europe with a population of just seventy million kazakhstan is the big. Just among them. Football be it could be said that often we mustnt forget that the border between the former soviet union and china run along here for a very long time there was almost no contact between the two countries if the border was closed thanks to the new infrastructure a lot of passengers and goods will come through here on it on the way to target the cole goss is the starting point for a revival of the silk road wanted to settle in its all that all of the us for. The new silk road still under construction in kazakhstan once complete it will cross the entire country over a distance of two thousand four hundred kilometers the construction work is largely being paid for with loans issued by the world bank but also by china itself via its new silk road fund. Thats a state fund running to more than forty billion dollars this new strategy has allowed china to enter the exclusive club of major creditor nations. Until the new silk road opens and china arrives the cossacks steps still live in the old world a world that dates back to soviet times a world that has been governed by president not out of by with an iron fist for the past twenty five years he recently called the new silk road the project of a century. Nothing has changed here since the fall of the soviet union especially not the old rural road connecting cord goss with the rest of the country. As i was of get i have goods from china im heading to al maty ive been travelling since yesterday now i have a flat tire. I normally have to complete this stretch in a day. The chinese side is much better at that im. Just very much feel that the road is very good its well maintained there are no potholes why who is it will improve here to. Launch of birth of my. News of the imminent opening of the highway is spreading slowly in the step. But for some the new silk road is likely to be bad news. For years dude but its most lorries that stop here have come through russia or europe we clean them before they head into china it appears it seems i can you that were doing a good thing for people there are not many car washes here. Most of the q. More of course in mali was when the highway is open and the old country road will probably be closed there wont be a single vehicle coming through here that i think i will be here another two or three years after that no cars will come through here it will be dead quiet last. Month. All this is seen with mixed feelings in the villages through which the old road runs theyre hoping for a Better Future and are dubious about what will happen next honestly im sure our president as a bias signed his contract with china theres already a functioning train a Freight Train that goes to it it was just one look at that it would come out of the wood it transports Raw Materials cars and all kinds of things to many other countries whats just lost they just what are the footnotes fits all thats already possible it was done he manages it the girl who. Took a sensitivity the inhabitants of the small towns near the chinese border are generally happy with whats happening right now and theyre not stupid they think of the business side of things and the immediate advantages i use with this what are they really thinking of the future is this what its that theyre going about their business but theyre not pursuing. Long term strategy. Of will appear. Behind the new silk road that leads to kazakhstans economic capital. Behind the trains that run through the steps china is pursuing a strategy. The opening of a new export route to absorb any excess Industrial Production but the main goal is to intensify chinas economic and political influence all across central asia a region that historically has looked towards russia. In a new forward till you can have made the logic of the generals roads them. The railway lines. For us for all the new transport options are an advantage to those located on this line in kazakhstan and elsewhere in central asia in this case. To leave a note central nevertheless its largely a chinese project thats aiming to solve chinas problems as the caretaker yes the very thing for chinas constantly trying to find new space for its population. Here. To tell us their years of course russia has a lot of empty land but russia is still strong central asia is weak and its the weakest link in the chain that. Has so often chinas population figures are a cause for concern the fear of the yellow peril is always there below the surface a region with such a low population density like kazakhstan is always very interesting for china not least since its very rich in oil and Agricultural Land and oil are two resources that are absolutely vital for chinas growth the new silk road which goes right across kazakhstan in a northwesterly direction runs right past the big oil fields as zone of the greatest strategic significance to russia. But these days china is gaining in power thanks to its state run oil company c n p c its pipeline now transports twenty Million Tonnes of cars to the chinese province of sheen junge every year theres just one opportunity from a good and within central asia the west is the most important region at the access to the west has to be secured for that because thats where the huge Energy Source is lightish i mean that if we. Had a source of each china wants to go beyond the mere exploitation of resources by acting thats why. Has offered an economic and Political Partnership to kazakstan with the concept of the new silk road alcatraz economist forceful putting and so the new silk road is also an oil road for china in return beijing is building the infrastructure necessary for kazakhstans development. It it is. But in the village of kent near the oil fields of the chinese clearly not much of the money for the new silk road gets as far as the small towns in the steps. Actually look thats one of the other theres money here but nobody will give us work. They all goes there its not easy for us in the village theyre not doing anything for us kane told him not among us i know you can see the state of the road over there the chinese dont employ anyone from here they employ other people how can we be satisfied with that and as im as an investor i dont manage to. End up today the regional capital the headquarters of the Chinese Oil Company occupy the most impressive building in town. The style of the building marks a break with the typical restraint displayed by chinese investors. At that hour as you said to gamble in the c. N. N. P. C. Came here they brought in workers from china in the quarter still they should have had quotas to follow up because of corruption and wangling more and more Chinese Workers came here would it would appear there are a few and fewer catholic workers for whats in the oil sector as the put it was a question a cost as they have the same problem in russia used in the. Us it does about some of the euro jokes on television already that you find more chinese than russians in russias far east as the elites but the more yeah. I think if they come here theyll stay and settle down and you dont. Want to kazakhstan is responding very negatively but so do several other countries in central asia on the one hand these countries want investors in the other they have their own economic interests especially that they dont want foreigners to own greater shares in their companies than they do powerful use we have to create a win win situation that countries invest in and that allows the population to participate financially to involved on the whole you. In two thousand and sixteen a law on the sale of Agricultural Land triggered anti chinese demonstrations of first in a country in which every kind of protest gathering is forbidden following the demonstrations to tell you off was arrested because he filmed the event and disseminated the footage. With snow yes i think i said that most here because he makes my kids says the yes because he did not tell you this you know nothing of this just doesnt work we have. Almost a problem with seriousness that this all our resources can be sold our people know this but turn a blind eye kazakhs are patient they say never mind lets wait theres no war at least we have food this attitude will be our ruin. So we just be deal by humans we understand that everything is being sold but we also see that this money is going into the pockets of a few people at the top of our limit is reached when they take our land because that people will never permit their land to be sold symbol though at all the interbank impossible. The chinese expansionism that banks on when when conditions is threatening to fail as a result of domestic corruption something that undermines a country like kazakhstan. In the parks of iraq to buy the only sign of Public Investment in the town many seem to have accepted that theyre just pawns in a great game. That in fact look like if you can say the chinese are conquering our country because we live in peace. Theyve been getting oil from a since the late ninetys it was like we have enough oil if were not in help themselves it was a problem. But theres not just the chinese who are here. We have french. American british german and italian people here to the whole world im going to quote you what is it that. In the middle of it what you see as expansion depends on the context if youre referring to the globalization of investment and Economic Exchange different than globalization is undoubtedly acceptable clothes but if you take it to mean domination or he get money or not it isnt that it doesnt fit chinas culture much full on the lights you know a little video. In two thousand and fourteen kazakhstan became a member of the your Asian Economic Union the free trade zone desired by moscow on the other hand the chinese have invested twice as much in kazakhstan since that date. To bear has become a new outpost for this chinese presence just a hundred kilometers from russia and the border station of jaison. At the moment russias still thrilled by the chinese project of the new silk road because its in line with its own eurasian ambitions. Russias advertising spots also promise affluence and cutting edge infrastructure. But the reality reveals that moscow simply isnt capable of keeping up with this rhythm as soon as the lorries from china over central asia reach russia they follow a zig zag course in order to avoid the huge post soviet potholes. Built them couldnt nobody with that rocket advances. In central asia china is demonstrating its strength to russia that lessens the russian influence in the region that the chinese have used the opening up to capitalism and growth to build Firm Foundations with that infrastructure more than to see what we still could be delicious chordal stuff so our economy could look there was nothing like it in russia with lower costs that wont change anytime soon because theres no money left to lose it sure would be genius we wouldnt even if the woman it wouldnt be invested in infrastructure. Predicted. On the map the new silk road leads to the russian town of oren borg. In the days of the czars it was the gateway to asia. I think entrance to the town lorries and trains cross the ural the river that marks the geographical border between the asian and european continents. Instead of just historically speaking the ural has always formed a natural border just this is just the big brother as the governor as yes in the post caravans coming from asia always pause to hear it the couple of the river was a barrier. Granted. Today the chinese efforts once again seem to come to a halt at this symbolic border. From here the project of the new silk road depends on moscows goodwill but does putins russia even want it. Watered down teaching but im skeptical about the relationship between china and russia russia is facing a look at all reus rethinking process a solution that russia used to be chinas big brother today it struggles to accept that china is a period. Of course china and russia are cooperating on military to raise for geopolitical reasons. But the new silk road has little support in russia because russia has its own eurasian project and with a sure shot house oh yeah and if you find any they see a. Couple stolen for putin as for stalin before him military strength is the primary factor but thats just not enough in todays world and if acutely you need an efficient Economy Technology science which is putins russia has none of that kazakhstan and his backers stand are already turning towards china while trying to maintain a balance but russia is all talk with it was go order china has the money all russia has is memories who glorious past it was when the overly compulsion. People like to come to the bridge of orenburg to enjoy the sunset looking west towards europe but many confess that theyre looking the other way more and more often. At this moment so im sure that us aid sure will be our future after such china are there and other european our other i usually counter side british developing their influence our life our culture our wealth and thats why asia result future plans. May be the new silk road will cross the ural river tomorrow and in the end a modern highway will connect china to europe as the railway already does. It will be a europe thats currently coping with many crises and that doesnt seem to have yet grasped the extent of she ging pains project. How can your up counter the power structures china is building along its new silk road. How will europe respond to this new soft imperialism based on Economic Growth and imperialism thats redrawing the map between europe and asia. An Award Winning film cuts also controversial n nine a m. And m. Fans in the snow cities then Marion Shelton braley. Most of the origins of this film intended to influence the discussion of germanys nazi past. Film and it still ends. A jump in the imprint. Led to believe feel. The scars on. The brain still tangible. For the are going. To see the edge but. They have survived do they also have a future. I really understand people who say they dont want to stay here. But i also admire people who want to stay here and who decided to create something. New beginning in peace time who are the people making it possible what needs to happen if tolerance and reconciliation are to stand a chance to get. Out of darkness the citys accustomed war. Starting march tenth on g. W. The legislative. Business of the news law is problem and i do lemmer all hopes for syria as the u. N. Calls for a news cease fire you know that go softer days the delay it comes after a week of government shelling that turned into walk the u. N. She called hell on earth also coming off the. Church closed on sunday jerusalems top christian shrine and shuts its doors in a dispute with israeli authorities claim goes there to find the exwife. And when the newly formed German Government to take