Silk originated in China and the Silk Road is the collective name given to a number of ancient trade routes linking China and Central Asia. Modern China wants to recreate the Silk Road with road and rail links from Beijing via Urumqi in the north to western Europe. It sees the potential of boosting trade by US$2.6tn in the next decade, more than the value of its exports in 2013. The UK is the biggest European recipient of Chinese investment and the UK has the ambition to be China’s top partner in Europe. Can Ireland gain from these developments?