THR USEFUL MAP above is produced by The Mercator Institute for China Studies, the German think tank that is the largest in Europe with an exclusive focus on China.
There has been a sharp uptick in recent weeks in expressions of concern by US politicians outside the traditional China-hawks about Beijing’s long-term plans to expand its global power through infrastructure development and finance and by building up its military.
In February, The Mercator Institute published a report suggesting that Europe should have similar concerns about how Beijing is expanding its influence in Europe in support of those aims through the use of ‘sharp power’ — the offensive use of soft power tools aimed at political and economic elites, media and public opinion, and civil society and academia.
China Bystander 
Who cares if they have their roads? Land transport is fourteen times cheaper than water transport. The US Navy rules the waves and can cut off China’s air supply any time it chooses. They’re not doing the B&I plan because it’s a great idea, they’re doing it because they have no choice.
Uh, that should be “Water transport is fourteen times cheaper than land transport.”
Pingback: China’s Belt And Road Initiative Gets More Strategic | China Bystander