ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on constructing a road between Kunming and Kolkata in India through the revival and extension of the ancient Southern Silk Road to improve economic cooperation. According to existing sparse literature by academic experts on this initiative, the different subregions aiming for greater integration through the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) Initiative have significant complementary strengths. In much of the literature on the BCIM initiative, there is a reference to the historical routes and the connectedness of all the regions involved. However, there is not enough work that has gone into exploring the connections between the past and the present or framing the aspects of historical continuity. While some valuable spadework has been done in forging regional cooperation among the different groups in the BCIM initiative, a lot more preparatory work needs to be done.
