A Turkish case for the modern Silk Road

My recent visit to Istanbul and Ankara with a group of Chinese journalists started with curiosity and confusion about Turkey, an unfamiliar country at the far end of the ancient Silk Road.

But it ended with strong confidence in the huge potential of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) to build and improve regional trade and infrastructure. The initiative will also allow China and Turkey to fulfill their development goals through deeper and broader economic cooperation.

Before taking the flight to the country that bridges Asia and Europe, I was a little nervous about the extended state of emergency that Turkey has declared after the failed July coup. Media reports about the unrest in the Middle East, the Syrian refugee crisis and terrorist attacks had also made me suspicious of global investors' impression of Turkey as an excellent destination.