Distant, obscure Urumqi also may loom large for the United States’ plans in the region. At the moment, the major plank of the Obama Administration’s policy for Central Asia after the withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan is the cultivation of a so-called New Silk Road consisting of economic integration across the region that will turn Afghanistan into a roundabout for trade and transport. However, Washington’s “North-South” strategy not only ignores the the reality that — at least at the moment — Central Asia generally trades east-west, but also the existence of a major regional trade hub: Urumqi. As opposed to a commercial corridor dictated by geopolitical priorities, Urumqi is a natural focal point that sits between the production in central and eastern China on one side and the markets of Russia, the Middle East and Europe through Central Asia on the other. This is not to say that it is in the United States’ interest to support the growth of an already booming Chinese axle with various Eurasian spokes. But it is imperative that any American policy take into account the regional realities of commerce and cultural interconnection. Afghanistan and South Asia may well be economically integrated with Central Asia. But when this happens, no city will be better positioned to capitalize than Urumqi.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 05:57:46 +0000
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