The Dawn of A New Era

May 17-As world leaders returned to their home countries from the historic Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation which took place in Beijing on May 14-15, they are proudly announcing to their citizens and to the world that a new paradigm for world affairs has been established, both economically and culturally. In a very real sense, the title of the EIR Special Report from 2014-The New Silk Road Becomes the World Land-Bridge-is becoming a reality.) Look around the world: Europe Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, after attending the Beijing forum and later meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, described the Belt and Road Forum as "an event that could leave a trail in history in the next years, because it is a project tending to be a global project." He said that "launching this bridge between Asia and Europe also has a political significance, besides the physical, economic one. Italy has decided to join at a high level- the only G7 country to do so-to give a signal of sharing." One example in Italy: The Italians are expanding, with Chinese help, the North Adriatic Port Association (NAPA) which includes the ports of Venice in Italy, Trieste and Kober in Slovenia, and Rijeka in Croatia. The expansion will upgrade existing ports and build a new port off-shore from Venice which will be able to handle container ships. New rail lines into northern Europe will make the upper Adriatic another hub for the rapidly expanding trade between Europe and Asia. Zivadin Jovanovic of Serbia, who heads the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, wrote on May 15: "Once again China has demonstrated the vision and magnetism of the new pattern of 'win-win' cooperation for the new era of the multipolar world. The pattern radiates equality, openness, and mutual benefit, not protectionism and power politics." He reports that the Chinese are building a rail connection linking Serbia with the South Adriatic along the eastern shore of the Adriatic to Greece. In addition, the construction of the BelgradeBudapest High-Speed Railway, which has been stalled by EU interference, will start in November. "It will be the biggest construction undertaking in the whole of Europe,"