Years of research travelling through Asia Pacific have paid off for Splash columnist Andre Wheeler with the launch this week of his book, China’s Belt Road Initiative: The Challenge For The Middle Kingdom Through A New Logistics Paradigm.
The Australian-based writer and consultant has spent more time than most identifying the global ramifications for the Xi Jinping-led massive infrastructure project and what it means for global trading patterns, his views providing Splash readers with many insightful columns since this site was established.
The 139-page book, available in print or as an e-book, looks at the whole changing transport big picture brought about by the multi-billion dollar Belt Road Initiative (BRI).
“The book is aimed at senior management, supply chain and logistics professionals who need to get a quick and easy overview of what the BRI is all about. Written in an easy language style that’s not academic, it gives an understanding of the history behind the BRI and how it is shaping the logistics and trade in Eurasia,” Wheeler told Splash today.
Wheeler aims to dispel many of the popular misconceptions with his new publication.
“The book explains that the BRI, apart from its name, is not new, but is part of a 100-year plan to restore Chinese pride and the position it once held under the original Silk Road,” Wheeler explained.
The book details how the BRI is more than a just an infrastructure construction program, with Wheeler seeing it as more of a logistics and transportation network that connects regions, promising high economic growth with strategic resources that links manufacturing with key markets.
The BRI is not a “static proposition”, Wheeler suggested, maintaining it is fluid as China continues to adapt to changing socio-political circumstances.
Up next for the budding author is a book on the impact of IT on supply chains and logistics.
Splash readers can buy Wheeler’s book by clicking here.
