New Opportunities on the Silk Road

By+staff+reporter+JIAO+FENG

THE Silk Road Economic Belt International Seminar opened in Urumqi， capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， on June 26.

Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt together with Central Asian countries during his four-nation tour of Central Asia in September 2013. This strategic concept reprises the ancient traditions of the Silk Road： solidarity， equality， trust， mutual benefit， inclusiveness and learning from each other. More importantly， it also conforms to the global trend of seeking peace， cooperation and win-win development.

The seminar opened four days after the World Heritage Committee decided to include part of the Silk Road on the World Heritage List. The application was jointly submitted by China， Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The committee stated that the Silk Road has served as a cor- ridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe and made significant contributions to world development for over 2，000 years. The application lists 33 historical sites along the millennium-old trade route， including 22 in China， which dominated the Silk Road traffic and exchange system.

During the seminar， more than 100 experts and scholars from over 20 countries elaborated on two topics in depth： Silk Road： Past， Present and Future， and The Silk Road Economic Belt： An Opportunity to Work， Share， Prosper and Succeed Together.

Historical Witness to Friendly Exchanges

More than 2，100 years ago， Zhang Qian， a Western Han Dynasty （206 B.C.– A.D. 24） explorer and diplomat， served as an imperial envoy to the Western Regions and opened friendly exchanges and trade with countries west of China. Chinese and people from countries along the route subsequently worked together to open a great trade route stretching from Asia to Africa and Europe. The Silk Road was an exchange network linking traders， merchants， pilgrims， monks， soldiers， nomads， and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea. It derives its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk carried out along its trading routes.

Many countries along the Silk Road jointly pushed civilization forward and promoted exchanges and cooperation between different ethnic groups and cultures. The Silk Road has become a symbol of friendship integrating Eastern and Western civilizations.

For thousands of years， the Silk Road has passed on the spirit of peace and cooperation， openness and inclusiveness， mutual learning and mutual benefit. According to Bassam Abu Abdallah， director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Damascus University， in addition to economic trade， the Silk Road served as a means of exchanging ideas and cultures. Technology， religion， and philosophy all traveled along the silk routes. Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in developing the civilizations along it， opening long-distance political and economic interactions between China， India， Persia and Arabia.endprint

“We believe that people of the Silk Road countries showed enduring friendship throughout history. Mutual benefit and trust on the basis of common advantages， equality， tolerance and sharing are characteristics of Silk Road cultures，”said Akkan Suver， president of Marmara Group Foundation， a Turkish NGO.

Joint Development and Shared Opportunities

At present， the world economy is undergoing deep changes， global economic recovery is slow， and growth momentum is weak. The path to sustainable and balanced economic growth will be an uphill climb. Peace， development and cooperation are humanitys common aspirations. Based on the traditional Silk Road， the new Silk Road Economic Belt will reactivate trade contacts among countries in Central Asia， and establish new channels for mutual benefit and common prosperity. These initiatives will focus on “connectivity in five areas”：policy， transportation， trade， currency and the heart of the people.

The proposed Silk Road Economic Belt will be the longest in the world， running through Central Asia， South Asia and West Asia， and connecting Europe and the Middle East to the Pacific. According to Zhong Shan， Chinas international trade negotiation representative and vice minister of commerce， differences in factor endowment and developmental level have given different national advantages in energy resources， labor， technology， capital and market capacity to countries in the belt. High economic interdependence provides opportunities for fruitful exchanges and trade. As the regional scope of the Silk Road Economic Belt is open， any country can join and become a partner and beneficiary.

According to Akbarali Sattorov， chairman of Tajikistans Union of Journalists， as a landlocked country， Tajikistan looks forward to renewed trade contacts via the new Silk Road. Three major tasks facing the Tajik government are guaranteeing energy security， ensuring substantial food supplies， and integrating the country into international transport and communication infrastructure. The renewal of the Silk Road will help to solve these problems.

Mahesh Ranjan Debata， assistant professor of the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University， believes that the Silk Road Economic Belt could be a stepping stone to reviving age-old ties between India and the regions along the route， such as Xinjiang and Central Asia. India now regards Xinjiang as a potential land bridge to Central Asia， where it hopes to find energy resources in the near future. This will usher in strong economic and energy cooperation between China and India. To construct a natural gas pipeline together with Xinjiang will enhance ties between India and Central Asia.endprint

Chuluunbaatar Chunnt， deputy director of the Strategic Research Institute of Mongolias National Security Committee， says that China plays a significant role in the ongoing infrastructure projects in Asia. He indicates that Mongolia is interested in participating in the Silk Road Economic Belt and benefiting from its geographical advantages. For example， Mongolia can take part in construc- tion of trans-border railways， highways， and pipelines and electric transmission lines. These routes can connect Mongolia with Russia and China， as well as allow Mongolia to play a role in infrastructure projects.

According to Fatma Ceren Yalcin， director of the Center for Foreign Trade Research， besides being the major trade route between Europe and Asia， the Silk Road has been home to diverse cultures throughout history. Since Turkey gained its independence， reviving the Silk Road as a trade route and cultural attraction has been high on the Turkish governments agenda. For this purpose， efforts were made to renovate and preserve the historical sites along the old Silk Road and grant them new functions. Deepening globalization highlights the Silk Roads high potential for Turkeys foreign trade， such as ensuring sustainable development of the countrys foreign trade， improving its peoples income and social welfare， and elevating the countrys position in world trade.

Catalyst for Multilateral Cooperation

The Silk Road Economic Belt accords with trends of globalization and the accelerating process of regional economic integration， as well as common aspirations of Asian and European countries to closer ties and economic upgrades. In Zhongs view， the Silk Road is not an entity or a mechanism， but will depend upon， and add to， existing mechanisms and regional cooperation platforms.

According to Li Yongquan， researcher and director of the Institute of Russian， Eastern European & Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， the Silk Road Economic Belt is a natural outcome of economic development and regional cooperation in this age of globalization. “The ancient Silk Road was not planned， but grew organically， according to existing trade needs. As a form of multilateral cooperation， the Silk Road Economic Belt pursues mutual benefit rather than political ends. It is a process that facilitates trade and cooperation，” Li said.

Vladimir Petrovskiy from the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences says that the Silk Road Economic Belt represents a new model for cooperation. It is not a regional organization for economic integration， but an international economic system based on voluntary participation. The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative parallels the Eurasian Economic Union as regards absence of conflict of interests.endprint

Openness， Inclusiveness， Trust and Innovation

As openness and inclusiveness are traditions of the ancient Silk Road and prerequisites for cultural coexistence， all parties agree that it is necessary to adhere to these principles in building the Silk Road Economic Belt.

“The Silk Road Economic Belt will build a new platform to promote exchanges and cooperation between countries and organizations in the region and facilitate maximum openness. The initiative intends to build trade and transportation connections to link the industries in different countries， and bring forth a proper international division of labor and thus realize the principle of equality and reciprocity，”said Sun Zhuangzhi， secretary-general of the Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Sayfullo Safarov， deputy director of the Institute of the Tajikistan President Strategy Research， common development will make countries turn from competitors into partners. Contradictions between countries will be outweighed by their shared interests.

China has consistently advocated harmonious relationships with surrounding countries， not only establishing mutually beneficial economic ties， but developing friendly cultural exchanges. Mohamed Noman Galal， former Egyptian ambassador to China， recently observed that China is not a colonial power and will never be one in the future， a comment based on the countrys historical records. In the past， China sought trade rather than expansion， and will continue to build a world civilization through dialogue， trade and investment. The initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt is a great step forward in building peaceful and beneficial relations between China and the world， and particularly the Middle East.endprint