Publication

This backgrounder reviews the competing plans China and the US have for greater economic and infrastructure integration across East and Central Asia. More specifically, it discusses 1) the original Silk Road created by China's Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD); 2) the US vision for what a new Central Asian Silk Road might look like and the major initiatives Washington is pursuing to make it happen; 3) China's competing vision for a new Silk Road; 4) India's approach to regional integration in South and Central Asia; and 5) the potential roadblocks to the above visions and plans.