For more than two centuries, the Manila Galleons carried Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices across the Pacific to Acapulco. From there, the cargo crossed Mexico before joining Spanish treasure fleets sailing to Europe, almost always stopping in the Canary Islands before catching the Atlantic trade winds. That maritime network became the world’s first truly global commercial route.

Five centuries later, Beijing is quietly rebuilding much of the same corridor — not with imperial fleets, but with ports, factories, logistics hubs, and digital infrastructure linking Morocco to the Canary Islands. Nevertheless, Washington barely seems to notice.