Royal Tour On Silk Road: A Tribute to The Saudi Vision 2030

12 October 2016

By Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi

When I review Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's Asian tour, I can't help but feel our special place on the map of nations.

A testimony to how the world regards us is the way he was received by the emperor of Japan and his crown prince, the presidents of China, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan, in addition to prime ministers of other important countries and high-ranking officials.

Another tribute was awarded to the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Transformation Plan 2020 presented by the deputy crown prince. The magnitude of what the vision offers is of unprecedented scale. The trade and investment goodies would benefit all members of G20, and many more. It is a party no one wants to miss!

It was meant, I believe, that the royal visit to China and Japan came close on heels of the highly regarded tour of the US — for those are the world biggest economies. If you were in the market for greatest economic partners, who are more important than the top three?

The prince has also met with the Russian President Vladimir Putin whose country ranks in the upper tier. Another important meeting was with the Indonesian President Joko Widodo. His country, with two hundred million inhabitants, is by far the biggest Muslim nation and one of world's largest. Its economic revival earned it a good spot at the G20 exclusive club.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was very warmly received by the prince. He is a leader to reckon with. Thanks to his phenomenal achievements, Turkey today is the Middle East's biggest economy and one of the globe's most shining and rising stars. It's also Saudi Arabia strongest partner and an ally in the volatile, turbulent region.

All these, and other high-profile meetings, our young, energetic and charismatic prince held, point to how positively the executive club of the world view our country, as an Arab and Islamic leader with strong, vibrant, well-managed economy. As Putin, in his meeting with Prince Muhammad in Peking, puts it, ''no serious problem in the world today can be resolved without the cooperation of Saudi Arabia.''

Of special interest in the royal tour is the Silk Road. This is by far the greatest project in the new millennium.

It connects 60 countries, in three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, representing 60 percent of the world population with over four billion inhabitants, and makes the third of the world economy.

The Silk Road, according to Wikipedia, is an ancient network of land and sea trade routes that for centuries were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent going all the way from China to Arabia, and on to the horn of Africa, reaching through Russia, Egypt and Turkey to the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Europe.

The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk carried out along its length, since 207 BC.
Trade on the Silk Road played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe, Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations among them.

Though silk was certainly the major trade item exported from China, many other goods were traded, and religions, syncretic philosophies, and various technologies, as well as diseases, also spread along the Silk Routes. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road served as a means of carrying out cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.

The main traders during antiquity included the Chinese, Arabs, Turks, Indians, Persians, Somalis, Greeks, Syrians, Romans, Georgians, Armenians, Bactrians, and (from the 5th to the 8th century) the Sogdians.
Arabs' greatest contribution to this project was the domestication of the camel — the desert ship. Without it trade caravans would not have been possible. Horses carry mostly riders, for certain distance. Camels, however, can go much further, carry cargo and people, and last longer without food or drink.

The modern Silk Road will use similar routes. However, instead of camel caravans and wooden ships, we will have trains, cars, cruisers and tankers, as well as, gas and oil pipelines, and fiber optic cables.

Saudi Arabia would greatly benefit from its strategic location at the heart of the world, sitting between the three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe. It's also a major trade partner of the world largest economies.

Playing as the globe strategic logistical hub is at the heart of Saudi Vision 2030. Our expanding sophisticated networks of airports, ports, railways, highways, oil-gas pipelines, fiber optics, wire and wireless telecommunications combine with needed logistics facilities to provide global commerce with all necessary services to move people and goods from one end to another in all directions.
That's our strength. That's our place. That's our future.

— Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi 

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