Within the last 50 years China has turned according to Prof.Dr.B.Hallier from small local retailers towards nationally organized trade conglomerates. The Singapore magazine Retail Asia is listing as Chinese top players China Resources Holding (3665 outlets/ 15.4 billion US $ turnover) followed by Sun Art Retail Group (480/ 14.6), Suning Commerce Group (1480/ 13.9), Gome (1380/ 11.0), WalMart China (438/ 10.9), Yonghui (557/ 7.6), Bailian (3882/ 7.6), Belle International (20197/ 6.2), Carre-four China (266/ 4.6) and China Petroleum (26.500/ 4.5).

Worldwide known is the Chinese B2C platform Alibaba - founded in 1999 - selling branded goods to consumers in mainland China, Hong-Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The site accounts for nearly 50 percent of China's B2C retail - its market value is guessed to be roughly 220 billion US$ - before its acquisition of the Pakistani platform Daraz (founded in 2012). By this move Alibaba/Daraz will be also active in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanca, Myanmar and Nepal.
 

Five years after the announcement of the Chinese President Xin Jinping to support the revitalization of the historic Silk Road by a billion US $ investment - now in 2018 in Astana/Kazakhstan 60 mayors of cities along the Silk Road gathered to sign a memorandum for a joint Club ( see more : www.dailymotion.com/video/x6nihg5)

Prof. Dr.B.Hallier - participating as a guest at the Mayors' Round Table - sees a parallel in this action to the Hanse-Organization during the Middle ages which at that time was the driver of innovation and globalization around the Baltic Sea ( see also :www.european-retail-academy.org/BUN ) ."Cities can act jointly solving problems by creating cross-border solutions; University Networks of Applied Sciences can help in this dialogue" Hallier stated.
 

The City of Astana was founded as the new capital of Kazakhstan after the collaps of the Soviet-Union. Within its twenty years of existance it got already a high image due to its futuristic sky-line, its Global Summits supported by the group of Astana Nobel Laureates and finally in 2017 by the EXPO.

For the 20th Anniversary of Astana in 2018 Sir Karl Jenkins , one of the greatest modern composers, created the oratorio "Shine Astana" which was performed by a combination of 500 singers from choirs from 10 Silk Road countries and by 300 musicians. Its premire took place at the First Silk Road Mayors Joint Conference which according to Prof.Dr.B.Hallier was a historic and cultural highland for all the region.
 

The name "Silk Road" derives from the lucrative Chinese silk-business : exports around Asia, Middle East, Africa and via the Mediteranean Sea to Europe. It was started during the Han dynasty in 114 BC by the Chinese imperial envoy Zhan Qian.

But also today China is a strong trade player having completed for example 1.1 million square-meters Shopping Center space in Shanghai, 801.540 in Beijing and 637.112 in Chongqing.Prof.B.Hallier promoted the dialogue by visiting China since 1974 (partnering later with the Tongi University Shanghai or Harbin University) and inviting Chinese delegations to EuroShop - as seen at the pic in the middle of this news.
 

According to Retail Planet the growth of turnover in retail uptill 2021 will be lead by India with 76 percent, followed by China with 52 percent. In online-retail India is expected to grow by 407 percent in front of Turkey with 198 percent, Russia by 176 percent, being followed by China with 153 percent.