Marc Guigon, UIC Passenger Director, took part in an emlyon business school virtual event on Facebook: “The Belt and Road Initiative: a sign of China’s rising power?” on 18 November to discuss questions such as:
- What is China trying to achieve with this initiative?
- What are the expected benefits?
- What are the potential implications and opportunities for the rest of the world associated with the BRI?
- How will it affect current international trade flow dynamics?
A brief introduction to the Belt and Road Initiative was provided by Mr Tony Yin.
The roundtable panel included:
- Mr Nikola Zivlak, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Undergraduate/Graduate Programs at emlyon business school Asia
- Mr Anastas Vangeli, Adjunct Professor ESSCA and Senior Non-resident Fellow at the Turin World Affairs Institute
- Mr Marc Guigon, Director, Passenger Department at the International Union of Railways
In his presentation, Mr Guigon explained the objectives of the Belt and Road initiative, which consist of promoting economic prosperity in the countries on the route. He also demonstrated the four railway routes from Asia to Europe currently in use and the forecast for 2030, and addressed topics such as railway routes and commercial links between Europe and China, volumes of Eurasian rail traffic, technical challenges for railway routes (such as standards, track gauge, signalling, power supply, etc.), border-crossing issues, and green lanes to facilitate the flow of people and goods.
