The Silk Road was never a single route. It was instead a complex network of routes linking Asia to the Middle East. A trader, for instance, after arriving in Kashgar, might decide to turn south towards India, rather than travel west to Persia. Moreover, a caravan only rarely travelled the full length of the Silk Road―the cost was prohibitive and took over a year. Instead, silks, furs, and copper, among other goods, were passed from trader to trader until they reached their final destination often thousands of kilometers from their starting point. It is difficult to say where the Silk Road started and where it ended.
The same is true today.
There is no standard definition of the new Silk Road. Naturally, it includes the countries that lined the old Silk Road. But there are other worthy inclusions. Take Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The two countries were never a part of the original route. But they are an integral part of the new Silk Road with their large Islamic populations and economic links to the old Silk Road countries. Indeed, the new Silk Road is about more than the rise of a historic trading route. It is also symbolizes a shift in the world’s center of economic gravity east, as fast growing developing economies shake up the world economic balance.
This blog adopts a relatively broad definition of the new Silk Road. I apply three simple assumptions.
1) I include only developing economies. The rise of the new Silk Road is about a change in the established economic order, as fast growing developing economies capture a rising share of the world’s economy.
2) I include countries that have large Islamic populations and enjoy cultural, historical, and political links to the old Silk Road countries. This makes North Africa an easy inclusion because of its links to the Middle East. It also argues for including parts of East Asia, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand―all three countries received Islamic traders in earlier centuries and have large Islamic populations today.
3) I include countries that have strong economic relations with the old Silk Road countries. Korea and the Philippines are a good example. The two were not part of the old Silk Road. Neither do they have a large Islamic population. However, Korea is a major economic partner for China and the Middle East, selling everything from phones to ships. The Philippines is also a major supplier of labor to the Middle East.
