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the the it's china's mega project, the new silk road. a trade network between china and the rest of the world, which could turn the old world order on its head. with changing jock, have on little to sing the judge

and hold off by the china is investing in bridges, forts, railway tracks, and roads around the globe over 70 nations are already part of the new silk road. europe sees the chinese as welcome investors. the ports of paris has been under chinese ownership for several years. and the chinese are now also showing interest in tree. yes. in italy. greater importance for china, the center of the mediterranean coast of africa and just take your point to the correct one, but we're all fishy to or the chinese when i give you re, is the emeralds of the mediterranean measure. you critics warn that china is using the new silk road to cement its power around the world and divide europe. when you

make any can make agreement with the country that doesn't respect the human rights . you are dealing with human rights because it means that you don't care much. mm. yes. the corona virus pandemic has brought life in grotto, a resort in north eastern italy to a virtual standstill. but even though few people visit his beach bar, ricardo ron key also is still glad to be back at work. he and his family were the 1st people in the resort to be infected with coven 19. because i'm going to punish a similar one would we felt like lepers when they say it's a small community. when you talk with an equally money in summer, it's a well known resource since we locals are all alone on the island in winter. and

then he is actually sort of course on an island. everyone knows everyone else and he needs that's why it was such a serious issue for me at 1st having an illness when nobody knew what it would bring it to the general, we can see something about cars passing but help coming in from china gave ricardo and his family feeling that they weren't alone. shyness, and 31 tons of urgently needed equipment, ventilation machines, personal protective clothing, masks, and medication, and also medical staff. soft power from china. some called it the silk road of help. me, me some cindy thought physically felt more safe if china came to help us. you've told me least the look on the if someone is already faced the same problems before you look and found solution, you know, maybe haven't. yeah. it does give you

a feeling of security that sort of cynical don't want to hit the link with mentor. did a quick question. so the, because you see these problem building and you don't know how to solve a long cycle, many side of the china as the savior in times of need. whether it was politically motivated or not. the symbolism worked for ricardo in his family . in the early stages of the pandemic, no help was forthcoming from the european union. ah, we saw when we saw china that really experienced a catastrophe in the beginning of the pandemic. and china was really devastating in the beginning. so course on what they offer to help us with that it showed us that they were prepared out on their power some of the most. and they're afraid of nothing and nobody can learn about what to be needed. and so not

me. the theory as is greece is most important port. it's been owned by the chinese since 2016. china started investing in the board after the 2008 financial crisis and has made it an economic success. over the last 12 years, cargo handling has increased tenfold. the dock workers here on here one were here before the chinese arrived and saw the changes hands around to the dock work. it's an honest job and with it i've managed to feed my family. i'm satisfied with your top and it has been working at the fort since 2005 like everyone else here. he

demonstrated against the take over of the fort by the chinese state company, costco, l. amazon and everything has been a mess since the privatization in the morning. ever since the investor got involved here and is only interested in profit and nothing else in our situation has changed . we cannot, before the port was privatized, our work was much better and easier. we worked in fixed groups back to be always as a team of to now we don't have enough people now, so that's no longer possible. now we're forced to do the work at 2 men, that one shift in 6 was cancelled. new jobs were created, but hardly any of them offered the same social protection as the workers previously had these proud greek dock workers now working at fort which is no longer for their own. gotta think we must say,

we think it was a strategic mistake to privatize the biggest important in the country for us. greece is a country with a huge number of violates the ports are essential, not only economically envisioned, but social rollers can you call me. they keep people connected is really voice. i miss this, you know she to be visible, greece was forced to privatize the port as part of your demand to tackle the greek debt crisis. your job go goes and his men still blame germany and the you for it. go, goes, is now trying to save what he can and is fighting to protect his people's rights. a lot of the best man at my wedding gotta stay pension one of them in yes, because they calculated how long you had worked for the poor when it was still state own. so what will happen to us now the longest starting workers,

so not our rank money? no, i'm telling you my best man got a state pension. what will happen when everything already retired, right? no. it won't be like that at all. but go, goes union no longer represents all the dock with this. so it's hard for him and his men to fight against the threats of outsourcing or temporary contracts. the little portion of the portion that i don't know how much longer we can keep this working monitor with permanent staff dignified work and job security and garcia. we request an interview with the ports chinese managers. but it's the greek press officer who explains to us why perez is so important for chinese new self road is he's a 1st the lads, european force after the crossing of smith's son. this is

a very important for the shipping companies. in order to really the board and then to use it as a trustee hub. so they're very loud, it's vessels. the mother ration says we call them starting their route from east asia where it's europe, we see the part of spider leave here, the kind of go whatever it these contain additional cars. and then as smaller rationalist as we call them, feed the rest of the day that got to go and redistribute so many other ports of mediterranean. lexi the dock workers are skeptical. only 70 to 80 percent of the containers are trans shipped, which won't create any new jobs for the money on the profits. stay with the owner of the port. the chinese state company, costco,

none of it goes to the greeks gather the number 14. i've been shaved to i think it's all about the expansion of chinese capitalism, connecticut. other, say he, the chinese has a lot of money and this is its way of the landing and asserting and status position in the world. the 1st ship to so by me we're using china is a world power. i mean, you can't overlook that or be indifferent to what is not the not unless you have any of the photo. the me me

you walk good in the streets in italy and then you walker industries in shanghai. you don't need to do any analysis on the same the why can please grow at 0 percent, like here and why some other countries grow? it's 8 percent. as you've seen the past to china, you just immediately and i've been weaknesses in years over really important social and economic changes under my eyes. i've come back to europe, but, and i don't see any changes. next time i go to shanghai after a few months. i will look at the underground mapper because it would be new life. mikaela, good archie is known as mr. china. now, after working as an investment banker and spending 10 years in shanghai as a professor of economics, he became under secretary of state in italy's ministry of economic development and negotiate a silk road deal with china. he used to commute constantly between china and italy,

but now the corona virus has forced him to do business with the chinese via video calls. why? why, when he's always is usually what they also to. i'm sicilian and pinning my hopes on china 5 down that the cooperation with china will help the tourist industry to grow in sicily. and i don't really like, surely i didn't go see last year we had president choosing ping here lie. the defense wants to see more chinese tourism and the chinese are very curious about italy. our bizarre grouchy no longer holds political office. the government, he was part of only lasted for 15 months. but the letter of intent that he negotiated with china is still valid. when i came in, i took on these projects and actually delivered so accelerated the processor made the final agreements with the chinese counterparts. and we implemented them we

signed. and i do think that this is the base to economic opportunity that italy has to cooperate with china doing business together. this deal with china alarm to europe easily is after all, one of the use founding members, as well as part of nato. many saw the signing of this contract as a break with the old alliances the logic of the italian government backed and was purely economic. they said everyone else was doing business with china to, even if they had no official agreement. there is absolutely not contradiction and no conflict. so we do a strategy. if someone worries about the fact that the china in less than the you have to give them back something. china has invested in germany hall and belgium

and france, spain. malta is stumble in greece and u. k. all ports in europe have chinese honestly mississippi is assign ologist and author who lived in china for 6 years and observed the events around the new silk road development with a critical eye. she thinks the italian government was trying to create an economic advantage for itself, but under estimated the plans political dimensions. hello recon knowledge, men of this political project. why a member of the g 7 had a great propaganda value. also in china itself on k propagandistic, 1014, the new silk room is quite clearly an enormous cogent and like the projects in history.