The new Silk Road is one step closer to reality.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will help fund a highway in Pakistan, a road project in Tajikistan, and a ring road in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will help fund a highway in Pakistan, a road project in Tajikistan, and a ring road in Almaty, Kazakhstan according to World Economic Forum websites.
The AIIB was formally launched in January after attracting dozens of Asian and European member countries, many of them US allies that ignored Washington’s concerns about the emergence of a Chinese rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Last week Jin Liqun, AIIB president, and his World Bank counterpart signed a framework agreement to work together on co-finance projects.
The logistics of China’s silk road.
The AIIB will also co-finance projects with the Washington and Tokyo-led ADB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the UK Department for International Development. Japan was the only major US ally to refuse Beijing’s invitation to join the AIIB.
Today and tomorrow the World Customs Organization (WCO) holds it annual meeting for the Europe region in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The meeting has an interesting agenda and there will be a lot of important discussions for the future of the region and WCO.
The meeting has now started. This year there will be a major discussion around a new Governence package proposed by a working group that will regulate the elections of the organization in the future. There are also a number of other interesting to discuss when customs top management from West Europe, East Europe and Central Asia meet.
I am at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. A modern, interesting airport.
I always loved the song Airport by The Motors and the voice of the singer Andy McMaster.
What I didn’t know at the time of listening to that song, was how many airports I would actually visit and pass through during my life. Let me tell you, I have seen many airports.
They are all the same, but still different. In fact aurports can be very different. The key functions are the same though. Basically the logistics of moving passangers in and out of airplanes as quick as possible. The things that are different are normally related to the extra services, namely; comfort, waiting space, shops and restaurants. My favourite airport is Schiphol in Amsterdam. In Asia I like Singapore Shangi International Airport, which is clearly one of the best in the world.
I have maybe 500 airports or even more through my career so far. I will certainly see more in the future. One day I will in the blog rank the best and worse airports I have visited.
You must be logged in to post a comment.