Back in October 2013, when Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his grand plan to construct a commercial empire by creating dozens of linked infrastructure projects across 20-odd countries, politicians and construction companies the world over responded with minimal enthusiasm.
But by the end of April, the first part of the monumentally ambitious Silk Road program was underway, with Xi and his officials inking agreements on nearly a dozen infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said China had agreed to support projects worth a cool $46 billion.