From the Past to the Future

By+Zhong+Sheng

during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in September and October 2013 respectively， Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the joint development of an economic belt along the Silk Road and a maritime Silk Road for the 21st century. These are two major initiatives that China has put forward to deepen the reform and opening up and advance diplomacy with its close neighbors.

the Silk Road spirit

Over 2，000 years ago， the industrious and brave people of the Eurasian continent opened several trade routes connecting major civilizations across Asia， Europe and Africa. Together， these routes were referred to as the Silk Road by succeeding generations. Countries large and small along the routes all reaped considerable benefit from the Silk Road. China learnt a lot from other countries， just as those countries learnt from China. The Silk Road made exchanges of goods， knowledge， people and ideas possible， as well as promoting economic， cultural and social progress in the countries connected by it and facilitating dialogue and integration between different civilizations.

The 21st century is an era dominated by peace， development and cooperation， but it also features a complex international and regional landscape. In this context， the Silk Road has become all the more important and precious as a symbol of peace， cooperation， openness， inclusiveness， mutual learning and resilience. As our ancestors treated each other with respect as equals， worked for their mutual benefit and rose above occasional hostility 2，000 years ago， is it all the more pressing for us today to carry this invaluable legacy forward. It is crucial that the international community embraces the spirit of the ancient Silk Road， brings it up to date， instills it with greater dynamism， and realizes its value in this new age.

Regional cooperation

Asia， now known as an engine of global growth and a key driver for economic globalization， plays a critical and increasing role in the shaping of the international landscape. Meanwhile， Asia faces multiple challenges， old and new， including mounting pressures to stay vibrant. It will be the common goal of all Asian countries to consolidate and maintain the favorable situation of peace and development in Asia， build a stronger consensus between one another， enhance the awareness of a community of shared interest and shared destiny for a harmonious Asia， and achieve the comprehensive rejuvenation of all Asian countries.endprint

The development of economic belts along the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road will create greater connectivity across Asias sub-regions， and help the establishment and improvement of the continents supply chain， industrial chain and value chain， thus bringing Pan-Asian and Eurasian cooperation to a new level.

Profound changes are taking place with respect to global growth， trade， investment and capital flow. Eurasian countries， all of which are in a critical state of transition and development， desperately need to unleash their potential and that of the region， create more growth and make their economies more dynamic and more resilient in order to fend off risks.

Although there are obvious differences in history， culture， religion and level of development， Eurasian countries need to give scope to their advantages， follow a path of diversified development， and build diplomatic ties while constantly seeking common ground. Personnel exchanges， cultural interactions and dialogues are of the utmost importance.

For China， unbalanced development remains a problem， especially between its eastern region and central and western regions. To solve this problem， it needs to promote the transfer of resources and industries between different regions， allowing for the resourcebased and geographical advantages of the central and western regions and tapping their potential for exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries.

The state of Chinas relations with the rest of the world finds expression， first and foremost， in the changing relations between China and its neighbors. Whether or not China can continue to live harmoniously with its neighbors and help them along the way will have an important bearing on the way China conducts its relations with the world. China has adhered to the policy of building friendship and partnership with its neighbors and abided by the principle of bringing harmony， security and prosperity to its neighborhood. It needs to participate more actively in international affairs including those involving neighboring countries. The initiatives will also help unite China， its neighbors and other Eurasian countries on the issue of development strategies， build an even closer network of common interests， and bring integration of respective interests to a higher level， whereby China and all countries in the neighborhood can benefit from each others development and the common development of the whole continent.endprint

The development of economic belts along the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road has been made possible by economic cooperation. The construction of such economic belts has taken ideas and suggestions for cooperation and development from many sources. The development will rely on existing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms between China and other countries and utilize existing platforms of regional cooperation that have proven effective. The countries involved need to open their mind to the various cooperation initiatives and mechanisms， take a more pragmatic approach， and make existing mechanisms more effective and mutually reinforcing. The parties involved may consider linking together their projects— both those planned and already underway—to allow for greater cost-effectiveness.

Bringing tangible benefits

The countries involved will be able to discuss strategies and policies on economic development， coordinate their positions through consultation， formulate corresponding plans and measures for cooperation and give regional economic integration the “green light” in their countries both through policy and law.

There is need for improvements in cross-border transportation infrastructure. A transportation network that links Asias subregions， connects Asia with Europe and Africa， and effectively addresses the existing inadequacies of connectivity and transportation in regions targeted by the project is needed.

Regional countries need to study the issues of trade and investment facilitation while making the proper arrangements accordingly， removing trade and investment barriers， and promoting economic circulation and improvement in the region.

They also need to promote greater trade settlements in local currencies and more currency swap schemes， strengthen bilateral and multilateral financial cooperation， set up financial arms for regional development， bring down transaction costs， enhance the capacity to fend off financial risks through regional arrangement and make the regions economy more competitive globally.

Amity between peoples holds the key to sound relations between states. Countries need to shore up popular support for their state-tostate relations， promote inter-cultural dialogue， and enhance exchanges， understanding and friendship among different peoples.

The ancient Silk Road was mainly about trade in goods， while cooperation along the new Silk Road now can have a much wider scope. Priority areas and early-harvest projects may include infrastructural connectivity， trade and investment facilitation and industrial cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.endprint

The key pilot zones for development， as well as the selected border ports and harbors， can serve as testing grounds for cooperation. All the projects and modalities of cooperation are designed to translate advantages of political relations， geographical proximity and economic complementarity into strengths of practical cooperation and sustained growth， with the aim of achieving an uninterrupted flow of goods， sound governance， social harmony， mutual benefit and common development.

When President Xi proposed the economic belt along the Silk Road， Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed support and suggested that an information Silk Road be given priority. Leaders or senior officials from other Central Asian countries， Russia， Afghanistan， Ukraine and some West Asian countries called the economic belt along the Silk Road an important， constructive and timely initiative that meets the trend of the times and suits the needs of all sides. They expressed readiness for active participation. Foreign Minister Davutoglu of Turkey told the media that the economic belt initiative would bring about new opportunities for regional and global economic development. India， Pakistan and other South Asian countries as well as Southeast Asian countries gave their support to the initiatives. Business communities in many countries followed the development with great interest.endprint