On 14 May this year 33 world leaders gathered in Beijing for what has been touted as the inaugural Belt and Road Forum for international Cooperation. Billed as the biggest diplomatic event in China this year the summit was ostensibly about improving economic integration between East and West and providing leadership to a global economy going through difficult times.

Dr Luca Anceschi (Lecturer in Central Asian Studies, University of Glasgow) joins Professor Nick Bisley (Executive Director, La Trobe Asia) to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative and its potential to usher in a new era of Chinese global dominance.

Follow Luca Anceschi on Twitter: @anceschistan

Follow Nick Bisley on Twitter: @nickbisley