Since President Xi announced his One Belt One Road initiative in 2013, now renamed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) many significant achievements have been made. Whether is it connecting 60+ countries along the old Silk Route, investing $14.5bn so far in infrastructure or filling the void of TPP, BRI has demonstrated the results of single minded political commitment to achieve economic goals.
What was missing from BRI until today?
Despite these successes, what many observers in the West noted an absence of was a website or portal where new projects and bidding opportunities could be found. Well today this has changed with the launch of www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn, the official BRI portal. Excited to review the latest news and projects, I searched for the site from my London office and was surprised at a number of points:
- That it took so long to launch such a site
- Navigation appears to blend Chinese and Western styles but misses on both (you have to read quickly to catch the scrolling articles)
- Languages are Chinese and English but the main trading countries along the Silk Road had yet to have their local dialect available
China's Great Firewall works both ways
Despite the aesthetics of the site, the biggest problem is that it is almost inaccessible from outside China due to slow load times. UK firms have had to cope with slow website speeds when selling into China however it is interesting to see a Chinese government site aimed at promoting international trade get hindered by the same 'rules'. In the age of digital progression this is one area I would have expected China to excel. China Investors Club is supporting a UK delegation to China 18-20th May where we will be building links around big data and connected cities so we are sure to raise this when we meet the tech industry while out there.