Peace Dividend from War on Terror may go to China

Meanwhile, Beijing also plans to promote policies that encourage Chinese banks to lend money to other countries along the planned route. And that's in addition to the massive amounts of infrastructure funding China had already promised to Silk Road partners: $1.4 billion for developing port infrastructure in Sri Lanka; $50 billion in infrastructure and energy deals in Central Asia; $327 million in general aid to Afghanistan, some of which will fund "the construction of rail lines, highways, water conservancies, [and] power facilities," according to China Daily. With the establishment of China's new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), expect to see even more money flowing into the region to shore up infrastructure capabilities. Want China Times estimates that the total value of the Silk Road Economic Belt, when all is said and done, will be an astronomical $21.1 trillion.

Xinhua's recently unveiled an updated, interactive map depicting the extent of two Silk Road projects. A quick comparison to Xinhua's earlier version of the map reveals a number of new "stops" that have been added in the past six months, including Moscow, Russia; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. And Beijing is still expanding its list of potential partners: in his recent visit to China, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani indicated his country's willingness to be part of the project.

More @ The Diplomat: http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/the-new-silk-road-chinas-marshall-plan/