Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative has flawed mathematics because modern containerized shipping (with ultra-large tankers carrying 250,000 dead weight tons and container ships with 21,000 containers) is vastly more cost-effective than land-based rail (600 containers per train), and the Belt and Road's land routes would require continuous track gauge standardization and face wartime closure in narrow, island-cluttered seas surrounding China.
causalpending
Speaker
Dr. Sally PayneEvidence Quote
“in 1960 the average tanker size was 20,000 dead white tons in our own day the smallest ultra-large crew tanker is a quar of a million dead white tons... 21,000 containers over a billion dollars in cargo one ship whereas you're going to do a train 600 containers”
Source
NWC 2025 INS Lecture - Dr. Sarah Paine: Geopolitics, Cold War Lessons and the Way Forward— U.S. Naval War CollegeCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:04:38 AM
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