In 2013 China's Belt and Road initiative reawakened public attention to the issue of trade and transport. At the same time it stoked fears about China's true intentions. It was easy for critics to conjure images of a tide of Chinese steel and cement spilling over the Eurasian continent. But what if China were not alone in funding new infrastructure and in facilitating trade, nor the first? Richard T. Griffiths explores the construction of new trading...