New Measures for China’s Westward March

In November 2013， the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee approved the Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms. The decision stated that efforts should be made to accelerate infrastructural connections among neighboring countries and regions and to promote construction of the Silk Road economic belt and Maritime Silk Road， forming an all-round opening-up pattern.

Another important measure towards deepening reform is to build a new open economic system. This requires widening investment access， speeding up the construction of Free Trade Zones （FTZ） and further opening up inland and border areas. The two measures go hand in hand. The construction of the Silk Road economic belt is an important step towards expanding the opening-up of inland and border areas， and equivalent in strategic significance to the establishment of the Shanghai FTZ.

In October 2000， the Fifth Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee approved the 10th Five-Year Plan（2001-2005） for National Economic and Social Development. It raised the strategic task of developing Chinas western regions to promote coordinated progress among different regions. Over the past years， the economic foundation of the western regions has been enhanced significantly and they are playing an increasingly important role in national economy.

The western regions capacity for opening-up to their western neighbors has been gradually strengthened， exchanges with Central Asia becoming closer and more frequent. It is noteworthy that the Kashgar and Horgos Special Economic Zones （SEZ） in Xinjiang that were built in recent years and which are open to Central and East Asia have evolved into a Central Business District （CBD） in Central Asian trade circles. The two SEZs not only attract a large flow of personnel， cargo and capital， but also serve as connections for economic and trade exchanges and development among the Central Asian countries along the Silk Road economic belt. Chinas “Muslim Quarter，” Ningxia， has also established a close relationship in terms of cultural and economic exchanges with West Asia and Arab countries in North Africa， annual growth of bilateral trade hitting more than 30 percent over the past few years.

Therefore， conditions for expanding opening-up to the West are ripe and the construction of the Silk Road economic belt will no doubt play a key role in achieving Chinas goals.

Its no surprise that President Xi Jinpings proposal to build the Silk Road economic belt was immediately endorsed by leaders of the Central Asian countries when he first raised the proposal in Kazakhstan during his visit to Central Asian countries.

As a trade route linking China and the West in ancient times， the Silk Road， with a history of over 2，000 years and a reach of more than 7，000 kilometers， connected ancient China， India， Persia， Arabia， Greece and Rome. The Silk Road witnessed not only the trading of products， but also the transmission and exchanges of economy， politics， science and technology， religion， culture and art， thus firmly linking Asian and European civilizations.

It is safe to say that both China and the Silk Road countries benefited from such economic and cultural exchanges.

Now， the stage is set for China and Central Asia to rejoin hands， and the circumstances couldnt be better： China and Central Asia have highly complementary economies， and necessary factors are present for bilateral economic and trade cooperation to advance to the next level. By 2012， the trade volume between China and Central Asian countries reached US $45.94 billion， an almost 100-fold leap compared with that in 1992 when China first forged diplomatic relations with them.

Whereas the ancient Silk Road depended on camel and horse power for transportation， todays economic corridor has a diversified transport network， with roads， railways， oil and gas pipelines， and airlines facilitating closer and quicker cultural and economic exchanges.

Aside from benefiting from the logistical advantages accorded by the 21st century， the revival of the Silk Road is fulfilling a perennial dream for Central Asia. Since the central Asian countries became independent， they have valued their geological advantage as the center of the Eurasian continent. They want to fuel their own economies with a burgeoning Silk Road and， therefore， have taken revitalizing the route as an important development strategy.

The construction of the Silk Road economic belt will benefit both China and Central Asia. But from a broader perspective， the economic belt is not limited to just these regions. In the future it could be extended at both ends， to Northeast Asia in the east and Western Europe and North Africa in the west.

The cover story of this issue reports on the Silk Road economic belt， reviewing the historical contribution of the Silk Road and anticipating how construction of the Silk Road economic belt will help deepen cultural and economic cooperation between China and Central Asia. We also expound on hopes that the new Silk Road will bring Europe and Asia closer and boost common prosperity and development of the Eurasian continent.