Racing to a new prosperity

Four countries are examining ways of establishing a new Asian trade lifeline, as Emanuel John reports from Kolkata, India.

When 20 vehicles set off on the first-ever Kolkata-to-Kunming car rally in 2013, the event wasn't simply a sporting contest, it was a harbinger of things to come.

Over two weeks and 3,000 kilometers, from India to China via Bangladesh and Myanmar, the participants crossed terrain that ranged from mountains to dense, tropical jungle, from vast, fertile plains to deep valleys, plus sluggish streams and expansive rivers.