Fuzhou Sustains the Glory of the Maritime Silk Road

By+staff+reporter+ZHANG+HUA

FUZHOU， a melting pot of seafaring cultures， was an important cradle for the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Now， visitors can still spot dozens of its relics. The long-established Three Lanes and Seven Alleys， with their exquisite ancient buildings， ancient bridges and pagodas， temples and shrines are all witnesses to Fuzhous respected history as an important trading port.

“Now， the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives are bringing Fuzhou huge development opportunities，” said Yang Yimin， mayor of Fuzhou. The municipal government has proposed building the coastal city into a strategic hub that connects the Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN）， Taiwan and the Chinese hinterland.

Origin of the Maritime Silk Road

“The historical evolution of Fuzhou is inseparable from the Maritime Silk Road，” Yang said. As early as the Han Dynasty （206 BC-AD 220）， Fuzhou built the Dongye Port for maritime trade. The citys maritime trade peaked during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. Zheng Hes seven voyages to the western seas all started from the Port of Taiping in Fuzhou， which greatly promoted exchanges with Southeast Asia and contributed to Fuzhous industry and commerce. During the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， Fuzhou was designated one of the five treaty ports for trade with foreign countries. Seventeen countries established consulates in the city， including the U.S.， the U.K. and Spain.

Fuzhou was once a center of silk production， evident today in streets with names like Silk Alley， Brocade Alley and Loom Lane. Fuzhou porcelain was also traded abroad， as well as tea and timber. All these built Fuzhou into one of the most prosperous and cosmopolitan cities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Today， Fuzhou is joining hands with other ports along the ancient Maritime Silk Road， like Quanzhou and Ningbo， to apply for recognition as world cultural heritage sites， and is listed for consideration by the UN.

Fuzhou Advantages

Mayor Yang told China Today that Fuzhou is embracing the national strategy of building the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. Its advantages are manifest in the following aspects：

Fuzhou is the ancestral land of many overseas Chinese and Taiwanese people， and its proximity confers an advantage in exchanges with Taiwan.

Fuzhou also has remarkable industrial strength， with key industries such as information technology， manufacturing， textiles， food， and metallurgy. It seats 23 national industrial parks.endprint

Bountiful maritime resources are another of Fuzhous distinctive advantages. It has up to 10，573 square kilometers of sea area and 1，310 kilometers of coastline. In 2013， the total output of its marine economy stood at RMB 218.2 billion.

Fuzhous advantages in education， science， technology， and talent resources lay a solid foundation for the citys rapid development. With 15 universities and 46 national and provincial scientific research institutions， the city has cultivated 69 academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

In addition， the city accumulated valuable experience while opening up. Fuzhou has had economic and trade exchanges with 217 countries and regions. The total number of registered foreignowned firms there exceeds 4，000 and Taiwanese-funded companies number over 2，000.

Favorable ecological conditions also distinguish Fuzhou from other Chinese cities. In 2013 Fuzhou snatched third place among all provincial capitals in measurements of air quality. Its forest coverage reaches 55.3 percent， the second highest among provincial capitals.

Today， Fuzhou takes the lead in eco- nomic cooperation with ASEAN economies. Four Fuzhou-based enterprises have set up breeding facilities in Indonesia and Myanmar. The city is planning to expand its aquaculture in Indonesia and hopes to carry out win-win cooperation with ASEAN in fisheries.

The China-ASEAN Seafood Exchange has been put into operation， completing the seafood supply chains between China and ASEAN members.

Building a Strategic Hub

To build the city into a strategic hub along the Maritime Silk Road， Fuzhou will focus on three fields – transport， trade and people-to-people exchanges， Yang said.

“Now Fuzhou is improving its transportation network of seaports， airports， railways and highways，” said Yang， adding that the city is also developing two deepwater ports – Jiangyin and Luoyuan Bay， aiming to shape Fuzhou into an international shipping hub. In 2013， 100 million tons of cargo passed through Fuzhou. All these constitute a solid foundation for the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road.

Fuzhou Airport is the closest of that of any mainland provincial capital to Taiwan， an important portal for crossstraits exchanges. Now the airport operates over 70 domestic and international airlines， serving nearly nine million passengers per year， reaching such international destinations as Djakarta， Singapore， Kuala Lumpur， Bangkok， and Siem Reap.endprint

Yang indicated that Fuzhou would become an important land and sea hub. Now， the city is ratcheting up efforts to develop land ports by improving expressway and railway networks. By the end of 2013， Fuzhou had 10，787 kilometers of highways， of which 488 kilometers were expressways. The planned Beijing-Taipei Expressway will also pass through Fuzhou.

All these bolster local confidence in the citys future. Yang added， “Fuzhou is emerging as a transit center for tourism， logistics， capital flow， information， and cultural exchanges.”

New Opportunities Brought by the FTZ Drive

On December 12， 2014， Chinas central government decided to set up three new free trade zones （FTZ） in Guangdong， Tianjin， and Fujian. Fujians FTZ straddles four areas in the province： Pingtan， Xiamen， Fuzhou， and Quanzhou. The planned area in Fuzhou occupies 51.36 square kilometers.

Yang said that Fuzhou is improving its financial system. The Straits Financial District is already underway in Fuzhou with a planned area of over 150 hectares. Currently 12 financial institutions have settled in the district. Moreover， Taiwanbased banks like Tanwan Cooperative Bank， Chang Hwa Bank， and Hua Nan Bank have obtained approval for setting up branches in Fuzhou. Meanwhile， the city is also applying to set up the nations first private maritime bank.

During the 2014 Cross-Strait Fair for Economy and Trade （CFET）， Fuzhous municipal government signed agreements with China Development Bank and China-Africa Development Fund， planning to raise RMB 10 billion for the Maritime Silk Road Fund. The fund has so far received RMB 2 billion， and re- lated projects have been started.

“Were making efforts to improve cross-border trade and investment. For example， we are trying to realize Renminbi capital account convertibility， marketization of interest rates and crossborder use of Renminbi. Meanwhile， we encourage local enterprises to go public when the conditions are ripe， or to be listed at the Haixia Equity Exchange to get financing and issue multiple financing tools. We also throw open the doors for strategic investors，” Yang told China Today.

“Fuzhou hopes that overseas companies not only establish offices here， but also bring their advanced managerial concepts and operational models. Then Fuzhous competitiveness can further improve，” he added.

As a pilot of Chinas reform and opening-up， Fuzhou has close economic and trade contacts with countries along the Maritime Silk Road. In 2013， the total value of Fuzhous trade with ASEAN， the Middle East， and Africa exceeded US$6.445 billion， taking up 20.5 percent of its total foreign trade. ASEAN invested in 339 projects in the city， with a total contracted value at US $895 million.endprint

Fuzhous fishing industry has shown its vitality in trade and economic cooperation. Fuzhous deep-sea fishing industry is leading the country， with six deep-sea fishing bases already operating in neighboring countries such as Indonesia， Myanmar， and Mauritania. Fuzhou has also set up aquatic farms in Indonesia， Thailand， and Australia.

Improving Cultural Connectivity

Fuzhou is renowned as the ancestral home of millions of overseas Chinese. Around three million overseas Chinese， and 800，000 Taiwanese， come from Fuzhou or are descended from Fuzhou emigrants. This is Fuzhous human advantage in building a cultural exchange hub.

“In the early years of Chinas reform and opening-up， Fuzhous development owed much to its connections with overseas Chinese， and the capital they brought，” Yang observed， adding， “These overseas Chinese have not only fueled Fuzhous economic development， but introduced other countries cultures and concepts to the city. In addition， apart from seeking individual investment opportunities， they acted as intermediaries to attract new investment.”

The older generation of overseas Chinese from Fuzhou mostly live in Southeast Asia. Yang hopes that they will participate in the Belt and Road Initiatives. While welcoming them back to Fuzhou to set up businesses， Fuzhou also intends to take advantage of their connections abroad to launch cooperative projects in other countries.

According to Yang， Fuzhou has sponsored a variety of activities including summer and winter camps for children of overseas Chinese and cultural events in countries with Fuzhou descendant communities. These are intended to tighten bonds between Fuzhou and its diaspora population. Now， Fuzhou is planning to build a historical museum for overseas Chinese to trace their ancestry.

The 21st-century Maritime Silk Road Initiative will surely bring the city new opportunities and challenges. Now， Fuzhou is poised to build itself into a strategic hub guided by the idea of winwin cooperation， mutual benefit and interconnectivity.endprint