China's strategy is to link its global supply chain investments by 'one belt, one road'

China’s plan to develop a “one belt, one road” (OBOR) transport network should be understood in the context of the country’s strategic geopolitical objectives rather than simply providing the infrastructure for its exports, delegates at this week’s TOC Container Supply Chain conference heard today.

Both Prof Haralambides and fellow speaker Olaf Merk, administrator of ports and shipping at the OECD’s International Transport Forum, emphasised that the traditional GDP-trade growth multiplier of 1:2.5 had declined to a little over 1:1 since the the onset of recession in 2009