Silk Road Cities Meet For Further Cooperation

By Wang Fengjuan

?

Silk Road Cities Meet For Further Cooperation

By Wang Fengjuan

Long Yongtu （center）， Honorary President of the United Nations Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities Alliance （UNMCSR CA）， with distinguished guests at the opening ceremony of the alliance's Inaugural Cities Forum held in Fuzhou on May 18

The Inaugural Cities Forum of the United Nations Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities Alliance （UNMCSR CA） kicked off in Fuzhou， capital of southeast China's Fujian Province， on May 18， 2016. A total of 500 delegates from UN agencies， 12 Chinese cities， and 30 cities of other countries along the Belt and Road gathered to discuss matters of cooperation， connectivity and development along the Belt and Road.

Fuzhou， on the Pacific coast， lies in the core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road，enjoying exceptional advantages in coordinating regional development and promoting exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

Because of its geographic advantages，F(xiàn)uzhou has been designated by the Chinese government as a new national development area， a pilot free trade zone， a pilot for the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and an ecological civilization demonstration area. All this has injected fresh vitality into an already strong local economy.

“We'll spare no efforts in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and turning Fuzhou into a hub on the Maritime Silk Road，” said Yang Yue， a Standing Committee member of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee， during his address to the Forum.

“Fuzhou is a coastal city， and its vicissitudes have always been linked to the sea，” Yang remarked. “It was one of the starting points for the ancient Maritime Silk Road， giving it an important place in history.”

Known as Dongye Port during the Han Dynasty （202 B.C.-220 A.D.）， and as Gantang Port during the Tang （618-907） and the Five Dynasties period （907-960）， Fuzhou continued to serve as a window connecting China and the rest of the world in the following dynasties of Song （960-1279）， Yuan （1271-1368）， Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1644-1911）. Zheng He， a famous Ming Dynasty admiral who led seven voyages to discover the West， used Taiping Port in Fuzhou'sChangle district as a base for his fleet.

Undoubtedly， the UNMCSR CA provides a new platform for exchange and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Its choice of Fuzhou as the venue of its first forum is of profound significance to reviving the glory of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

‘Fuzhou Experience'

For decades， Fuzhou has been seen by many as a pioneer in China's reform and opening up. As one of the country's first coastal cities to be opened to the outside world， Fuzhou has shouldered significant responsibilities in implementing reform and opening up policies.

This unique role has given the city a variety of opportunities. A talented labor force，along with materials， capital and information，has poured into the city in recent years， giving Fuzhou additional advantages that make it an ideal host city committed to more actively participating in international affairs while building a hub along the Maritime Silk Road. With experience in commercial trade， the city hopes to contribute much to in-depth cooperation with other cities along the Belt and Road.

Fuzhou's position at the junction of the Yangtze River and Zhujiang River deltas —along with its position on the Pacific coast— remains Fuzhou's key advantage in international trade， but the city is now working hard to establish a more comprehensive transportation hub including connected seaports， airports，railways and highways to increase connectivity with the rest of the world.

With numerous overseas trade associations，F(xiàn)uzhou has established economic and trade connections with more than 200 countries and regions globally. It has one of China's most highly developed market economies， most prosperous foreign trade and one of the nation's highest concentrations of foreign investment. By 2016， 4，000 foreign firms and 2，000 Taiwanese companies have established operations in Fuzhou， including 93 of the world's 500 largest corporations and 12 of Taiwan's 100 largest. According to government statistics， foreign investment in Fuzhou exceeded US$20 billion by the end of 2014. The ASEAN region has become the city's third largest foreign trade partner.

Fuzhou's land area totals 11，000 square km，with 1，310 km of coastline. Construction of two deep water ports （Jiangyin and Luoyuanwan） is underway， aiming to boost high volume shipping between the Chinese mainland， Taiwan and ASEAN countries. In 2013， the output of the Fuzhou Port totaled more than 100 million tons， and as its role as an international shippingcenter is enhanced， this volume is set to increase.

Yang Yue （right）， standing member of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee， and Yang Yimin （left），Mayor of Fuzhou， unveil the nameplate of the Fujian Free Trade Zone Fuzhou Area， April 21， 2015

Fuzhou's pillar industries include arts and crafts， textile， electronics and machinery，which develop amidst picturesque mountains surrounded by a beautiful coastline. Fuzhou is also a famous hometown of overseas Chinese，and there are numerous people with ancestral linkages to the city living abroad.

In 2015， the city's GDP reached 561.8 billion yuan （US$85 billion）， and based on its 23 industrial parks， eight industry clusters in terms of electronic information， machine manufacturing， textiles and chemical fiber， new material and new energy industries saw rapid growth.

Yang Yimin， deputy secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Fuzhou， announced that promoting transportation links as well as economic and cultural exchanges with the rest of the world remain a priority for the city. He hopes to make the city an ultra-modern hub along the Maritime Silk Road.

Efforts for Further Development

“Cities are the most important drivers behind both regional and global economic growth. When promoting the Belt and Road Initiative， strengthening cooperation between cities along the Belt and Road is absolutely an important subject，” asserted Long Yongtu， honorary president of the UNMCSR CA .

UN support for the alliance has been crucial， Long added.

“There are five UN agencies supporting the MCSR CA， which is rarely seen in the international community， meaning that the attitude of the international community for the Belt and Road Initiative is positive，” he illustrated.

The UNMCSR CA was launched by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation （UNOSSC）， United Nations Development Program （UNDP）， United Nations Industrial Development Organization（UNIDO）， United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization（UNESCO）， United Nations World Tourism Organization （UNWTO） and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges （CICETE） under the Ministry of Commerce on September 11， 2015.The establishment of this organization is aimed at promoting policy coordination， establishing partnerships， setting up cooperative projects，providing financial channels and facilitating trade and investment between cities.

Francisco Simplicio， an assistant director of UNOSSC， said that new frameworks amongdeveloping countries cannot succeed without new partnerships like the UNMCSR CA.

A bird's eye view of Fuzhou， the bustling capital of Fujian Province in Southeast China

Fujian Benz， a major project supported by the Fujian government， is a symbol of the transformation of the provincial automobile industry from cross-Straits cooperation to international cooperation

“The implementation of global development framework cannot be achieved without new， extensive cooperative partnerships which provide channels for progress，” Simplicio explained. “South-South Cooperation not only encourages inclusive development， but also helps us share responsibilities. This is a common view of various parties.

Simplicio sees MCSR CA playing a key role in fund management and allocation in future regional development.

Patrick Haverman， deputy country director of UNDP China Office， expressed optimism that the Belt and Road Initiative will bring tangible benefits to people in countries along its route. Zhao Yongli， secretary general of the MCSR CA Secretariat， said that MCSR CA puts politics aside and focuses on real benefits.

“We'll find it much easier to conduct economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between cities，” Zhao said. He added that the alliance is of particular benefit to entrepreneurs.

Chokdee Amornwat， deputy governor of Phuket Province， Thailand， said that Phuket has established sister-city relations with China's Hainan， Xiamen and Yantai， boosting cooperation between his province and China. He also hopes to develop sister-city relations with Fuzhou through this forum.

Cooperation Between Cities

More than 2，000 years ago， pioneers from China and other countries in Asia， Europe and Africa overcame various obstacles to explore and open up the routes of trade and cultural exchanges which are now known as the Silk Road. In the modern world， how can the Belt and Road Initiative create new development opportunities for the 4.4 billion people in the 65 countries and regions along the Belt and Road？

Cooperation between cities along the Belt and Road should be a focus of development，according to Long Yongtu. This type of local， targeted cooperation is most effective at increasing the convenience of regional transportation， he added.

“Cities are most important in the development of all economies，” Long said. “It's fair to say that they constitute the major driving force behind the growth of world economy， both regional and global.”

In the midst of China's urbanization，medium-sized cities accounted for 62 percent of China's GDP in 2008. Long added that Public-Private Partnerships （PPP） are vital to developing countries.

“To make cities grow faster， besides the direct investment from government， more attention should be given to the PPP cooperative model，” Long said.

According to the PPP model， some governmental responsibilities are transferred to private organizations through franchising， allowing the public sector and private firms to share risks and cooperate， with each playing an integral role in development.

So Platong， governor of Siem Reap City in Cambodia， said he hopes his city can establish closer ties with China in the interest of mutual development.

“At this forum， the programmatic cooperation between cities helped me understand the Belt and Road Initiative better，” So said.

The forum also featured a special section devoted to city promotion， in which representatives from 10 cities around the world， including Cambodia's Siem Reap， France's Dunkirk，Japan's Okinawa， Kenya's Mombasa， South Korea's Gwangyang， Sri Lanka's Colombo， and Iran's Isfahan， brought attendees impressive films and presentations， showcasing the charm and vibrancy of their homes. Each city's presentation included details on their intended cooperation.

Though still a young organization， the initial establishment of the MCSR CA has been overwhelmingly positive， with the integration of cities， city representatives， individuals and organizations as members. Its first batch of members includes Fuzhou， Quanzhou， Zhengzhou and Qinzhou of China， Qazvin of Iran， Ulaan Bataar of Mongolia， and Nara-ken of Japan.