Analysis of the National Strategy of One Belt and One Road Construction



Analysis of the National Strategy of One Belt and One Road Construction

By Yuan Xintao，Xi'an Jiao Tong University

The “One Belt and One Road” construction is the important strategic decision by the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the General Secretary to actively respond to the global situation of profound changes and get an overall grasp of the international and domestic situations. This grand strategy is included in the CPCCC Decision on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform, and the Government Work Report, and becomes an important development strategy.

Significance of the “One Belt and One Road” Construction

The “One Belt and One Road” construction strategy has given the ancient Silk Road new connotation of the time and planned a beautiful blueprint for the Chinese comprehensively deepening reform and opening policy, has injected new vitality for the Eurasian regional cooperation and provided a new path for development and prosperity of the world.

With development of the times, the Silk Road has become a general term for the political, economic and cultural exchanges channels between ancient China with all other countries, such as the official channel- Northwest Silk Road- pioneered by Zhang Qian in envoyship to the Central Asian region in the Western Han Dynasty, the Grassland Silk Road " running from North Mongolia plateau to west along Tianshan mountain and further into Central Asia, the Southwest Silk Road going from Xi'an to Chengdu then to India with the winding mountain roads, and the Maritime Silk Road starting with Chinese Southeast coast via the South China Sea into the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf as far as to Africa and Europe. For a thousand years, envoys, trade caravans，visitors, scholars, craftsmen of various countries along the Silk Road carried out activities never-ending and in all corners, people along the Silk Road had mutual exchange of needed products, and mutual learning, which gradually shaped the road of friendship for economic and cultural exchanges communicating between the Chinese civilization, India civilization, Persian civilization, Arab civilization, and Greek civilization.

The ancient Silk Road is paved by the people of all countries concerned along the Road. People of all countries concerned overcome all kinds of hardships and dangers, take a long journey to get across high mountains and deep rivers with great perseverance and courage. The peaceful cooperation, opening-up and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutually beneficial and win-win spirit carried by the ancient Silk Road continue like the torch-relay. Under the background of the times of new era, both Asian and European countries are faced with the common mission and challenge of transforming the development mode and strengthening the momentum of development. All countries along the way should jointly build the “One Belt and One Road”, reproduce brilliance of this legend Road that had created countless wealth and crystallized the friendship among people of various countries concerned, and recreate it the Road to peace, to win-win cooperation and to mutual benefits that generate people's benefit of various countries along the Road.

President Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the conference to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence the major cooperation initiatives promoted by China such as the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt, 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, China-ASEAN Community of Destiny, etc. China will take this as an opportunity to comprehensively advance a new round of opening up to the outside world, develop an open-type economic system and create new opportunities and space for Asian and global development. .1

Since the reform and opening up, especially since implementation of mid-western development, the mid-western region has actively carried out an overtaking strategy, which significantly speeds up its pace of development, but still has a big gap with the eastern region due to the impact of factors such as its geographical location, resources endowment, development foundation, etc.. The “One Belt and One Road” construction will structure “one body with two wings” for a new round of opening up to the outside world, enhancing the level of opening up to the eastern region while speeding up the pace of opening up to the western region, and pushing the hinterland border areas to step toward the opening front from the opening edge.2The “One Belt and One Road” construction helps the western region to co-ordinate its use of both domestic and international markets and resources, shapes a transnational economic corridor running through the eastern, and mid-western region, and connecting the Northern and Southern regions and further releases vitality for the development and opening up as well as innovation and creation.

China unswervingly takes the road of peaceful development and firmly pursues the mutually beneficial and win-win open strategy, actively practices the diplomatic concept of affection, sincerity, benefit and inclusiveness, and gradually deepens mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries, can through the “One Belt and One Road” construction better promote friendly exchanges of people of all countries, harmonious coexistence, and common development and prosperity among countries with different races, different beliefs, and different cultural traditions along the Belt and the Road, and bring tangible benefits to all peoples along the Belt and the Road.

The “One Belt and One Road” is the longest economic corridor and is also the economic cooperation belt with biggest potential for development in the world. The “One Belt and One Road” originated in China, interconnected with Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and even some European regions, connected with the Asia-Pacific Economic Circle in the East and tied with European economic circle in the West, covering about 4.4 billion population with economic aggregate about US$21 trillion, accounting for 63% and 29% of the global total respectively.3The “One Belt and One Road” can dock the Chinese development with development of all nations along the lines, dock the Chinese dream with the dreams of people all over the world for a better life, and can benefit the neighboring countries from the Chinese development.

II. Historical Opportunities for the “One Belt and One Road” Construction

The “One Belt and One Road”construction strategy for countries of Asia and Europe to deepen cooperation outlines a macro blueprint, provides brand-new opportunities for various countries to promote the common development and prosperity. The Silk Road consciousness has taken roots in all nations concerned and many countries are ready to get effective docking of their development strategies with the “One Belt and One Road” building strategy.

In talks with President Xi Jinping in May 2014, Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev expressed his active support of and participation in the Silk Road Economic Belt construction to pull its infrastructure construction for economic and trade, transportation and border ports as well as financial cooperation, etc.4In the same month, having talks with President Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan President Karimov said that Uzbekistan is ready to actively participate in building the Silk Road Economic Belt to promote economic and trade exchanges and interconnection and interoperability, more closely link Uzbekistan's development with Chinese prosperity.5

In May 2014, Pakistan President Hossain in his talks with President Xi Jinping stated that Pakistan-China Economic Corridor construction progresses smoothly, Pakistan is willing to facilitate the accelerating implementation of the relevant projects and hopes the two sides to strengthen electric power cooperation. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor construction is an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative.6In June, the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina in his talks with President Xi Jinping said that Bangladesh is in favor of China’s proposed the “One Belt and One Road” important initiative, the BCIM economic corridor also has the important significance on South Asian economic development. The Bangladeshi side is ready to take active participation.7

In March 2014,points out the potential to strengthened China-EU transportation relationship to be tremendous. The two sides decide to jointly explore the converging points of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with EU policy and probe into a joint initiative for cooperation along the Silk Road Economic Belt.8During his visit to China in June 2014, Italian Prime Minister Renzi believes that the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping is creative, the Silk Road is an important mark of East-West civilizations exchange. This initiative once again awakens people’s historical memory, the importance of the Silk Road Economic Belt to strengthen trade and economic cooperation with countries in Asia and Europe is self-evident. The Silk Road Economic Belt construction is good chance to strengthen the East- West cultural and political exchanges.9. The Beijing Declaration by the Sixth Ministerial Conference of China-Arab Countries Cooperation Forum points out that the Arab side welcomes China’s initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Both sides are willing to further expand China-Arab bilateral Trade and mutual investment, and focus on actively carrying out cooperation in the following areas, i.e. promoting infrastructure construction, promoting development of China-Arab industrial cooperation and especially the deepening Energy & Finance & human resources cooperation.10

Within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization，the member countries have enhanced their mutual trust and neighborly friendship, promoted among member countries effective cooperation in political, economics and trade, science and technology, culture, energy transportation, tourism, security fields. The Silk Road- Changan / Tianshan Corridor Network jointly declared by the three countries of China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is successfully included in the world cultural heritage list and is the Silk Road Economic Belt construction early harvest.

Currently, China is ASEAN largest trade partner while ASEAN is China's third largest trading partner. China and ASEAN have built the largest free trade area by developing countries in the world; and have signed cooperative documents such as,andetc.; have also established dialogue and other cooperation mechanisms such as China / ASEAN Business Council, China / ASEAN Fair, China / ASEAN Business and Investment Summit; and is vigorously building the upgraded version of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

China and Arab countries are good friends understanding each other because of the Silk Road. Arab world is an important partner for the “One Belt and One Road” construction. The China-Arab Cooperation Forum has become an important platform to deepen strategic cooperation based on mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and mutual respect. The Cooperation Forum has completed a dozen cooperation mechanisms including standardization, mechanism establishment, setting up the ministerial conference, senior officials meeting and entrepreneur general assembly, covering as many as the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation fields.

Shaanxi province puts forward becoming the new starting point and the bridgehead for the Silk Road Economic Belt. Shaanxi province is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, is a hub for the important modern Eurasian Continental Bridge. To take construction of Xi'an international metropolis as the core, to build Eurasian all-dimensional large channels as the basis and to strengthen trade & logistics, cultural tourism, advanced manufacturing, technology & education, modern agricultural cooperation as the focus, Shaanxi province firmly grasps the opportunities, actively makes progress, deepens regional cooperation, and promotes mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in order to shape Shaanxi province into a transportation, logistics and trade hub for the Silk Road Economic Belt, the core area for culture, science and education exchanges, a demonstration zone for undertaking industrial transfer and a pooling area for high-chained production factors.11

Xinjiang is located in the Eurasian continental heartland, bordered with eight countries, with a total of 5700 km long border line, and is the largest region at the administrative level of a province, with the longest land borderline and is bordered with most neighboring countries. Xinjiang should bring to full play its geographical advantages in the Asian-European continental heart, the cultural advantages of four great civilizations convergence and enriched resources advantages; should use the golden period of economic and social development to enhance all-dimensional opening-up, and to build itself into a regional transportation hub, a trade and logistics center, financial center, culture, science and education center and medical service center as well as the national largest oil and gas manufacturing, processing and reserve base for the Silk Road Economy Belt.12

Gansu province is located in the key junction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, is the integrated area between the Chinese civilization and the outbound foreign extraterritorial civilizations, is the strategic passage connecting the Asian-European Continental Bridge and the transportation hub communicating Southwest with Northwest. Gansu province should vigorously structure three strategic platforms such as turning Lanzhou city into a new area, Dunhuang into famous international culture & tourism city and building the Chinese Silk Road Exhibition, with focuses on six grand projects including pushing forward road interconnection and interoperability, trade and technology exchanges, industrial docking cooperation, new economic growth pole, humanitarian exchanges and cooperation, strategic platform construction, and strive to build Gansu province into a gold channel for the Silk Road, a strategic platform opening to the West, a regional economic, trade and logistics center, a demonstration base for the industrial cooperation, and a bridge and link for humanitarian exchanges.13

Guangxi is the only coastal province connected with ASEAN on land and at sea, with 1595 kilometers coastline, and good harbors at the Beibu Gulf such as Fangcheng port, Qinzhou, Beihai, etc. Guangxi should deeply integrate into the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area upgraded version construction, further develop market of countries along the Road，and give full play to the front window and bridge role regarding ASEAN cooperation, accelerate pace to become a major international channel (Maritime Silk Road) and a main point and an important platform oriented toward ASEAN and go to the world in China’s southwest and mid-south regions.14

In addition to an active participation in the One Belt and One Road construction by the above-mentioned provinces, the Qinghai, Ningxia, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and Henan provinces along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong and Hainan provinces along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in combination with their own characteristics, have proposed the One Belt and One Road construction programs.

III. Major Challenges for the One Belt and One Road Construction

Because areas along the One Belt and One Road construction have strategic location advantages, rich natural resources and broad prospects for development, in recent years, the United States，Russia and Japan have implemented strategic measures to dominate the regional affairs, and brought to the One Belt and One Road construction severe challenges.

In the year of 1999, the U.S. Congress passed the 'Silk Road Strategy Bill'. Participating in the Second U.S.-Indian Strategic Dialogue in India in July 2011, then the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary proposed the New Silk Road plan. The U.S. State Department sent telegrams to its embassies in relevant countries in October 2011 requiring them to rename its Central Asian policy and South Asian policy the New Silk Road Strategy and inform its international partners. These symbolize that the New Silk Road Strategy has become the U.S. official policy.15

The U.S. New Silk Road strategy has a strong ideological color and obvious geopolitical and geo-economic intentions, the main purpose of which is to seek long-term presence in Central Asia, long-term control of rich Oil and gas resources and mineral resources in Central Asia, establish the U.S. -led new order in Central Asia and South Asia, and weaken the influence of China in the region, which will create severe challenges for China's political security, economic security, military security and non-traditional security .

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is a multilateral free trade agreement led by the United States and participated by 12 negotiating countries. The content and standards of the Agreement reflect more the U.S. free trade concept and strategic interests. TPP is an important part of the U.S. return to the Asia-Pacific strategy, which intentionally sets high the threshold to prevent China’s accession, constitutes a hold on China’s participation in advancing cooperation on the Asia-Pacific regional economic integration, and unfavorable for China to upgrade its influence and discourse right in the Asia-Pacific region. From the long-term perspective, to continuously promote TPP will make China’s relations with its neighboring countries increasingly complex, add more geopolitical and security pressure for China and may even undermine the Chinese longtime pursuit for peaceful development environment.

In October 2011, the then Russian Prime Minister Putin in its programmatic articlepresents his conception for establishing the Eurasian Union initiative. He initiates an appeal for forming Eurasian Union composed of former Soviet Republics, and establishing supranational union similar to the EU, playing the role of a bridge between Europe and Asia-Pacific, becoming a strong pole in the world pattern so as to enjoy an equal footing with three centers, i.e. the United States, the European Union and China. In 2012, having returned to Kremlin Palace, Putin has accelerated the CIS integration, and made great efforts to build the Eurasian Union, the Eurasian union is officially identified as the Eurasian Economic Union in order to avoid criticism. On May 29, 2014, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed the Treaty of the Eurasian Economic Union and announced the Eurasian Economic Union to be officially launched on February 1, 2015. The Eurasian Economic Union is an open organization，and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, etc. have expressed a wish to join the organization.

Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union has many overlaps with China’s the One Belt and One Road construction although the One Belt and One Road construction does not seek leadership in regional affairs, does not operate the sphere of influence either, however, Russia traditionally views the Central Asian region as its own sphere of influence, and is not willing to accept other countries to expand their influences there. Therefore, how to develop well China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership, and look for feasible converging points between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt, and ensure the two of which to become an important engine driving the Asia-Europe regional integration are the problems faced by China and Russia for solution.

In the year of 1999, former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto put forward the Silk Road Diplomacy Strategy, which terms 8 countries in the Central Asian and Caucasus region the 'Silk Road region ', and puts this region in an important place before the Japanese diplomatic strategy. In the year of 2004, Japan promoted the establishment of a Central Asia-Japan dialogue mechanism, which symbolizes continuous development of Japanese exchanges and contacts with the Central Asian countries moving toward normalization, multilateralization and all-dimension. The main intention of the Japan’s launched the Silk Road diplomacy strategy is to cultivate 'Pro-Japanese nations' in the adjacent areas of China and seek a foothold in Central Asian and Caucasus region -- an area of strategic importance in the world, put a hold to China in terms of development and import of oil and natural gas resources, slow the speed of China’s economic development, and in the mean time also restrict development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Japan views China’s development as the biggest stumbling block for its realization of political and military power ambitions, attempts to take the ride of the U.S. return to the Asia-Pacific strategy to expand the scope of the intervention by the Japan-U.S. alliance into the South China Sea, and rope in countries that either have disputes with China or suspicions over China such as Vietnam, the Philippines, India, etc. to jointly curb China so as to achieve the goal to lead Asian affairs, rob marine rights and interests, and contain China’s development.

On June 11, 2014, the Foreign Affairs Committee of Japan's Lower House of Parliament passed a resolution on the matter of the South China Sea, accused China of oil drilling activities at Xisha (Paracel) Islands that exacerbates the regional tensions, claimed that Japan would not tolerate Chinese unilateral pursuit of territorial and maritime rights and interests with strength, and requested that the Japanese Government strengthen cooperation with the United States of America and Southeast Asian countries to jointly urge China to abide by the international law. Japan is a typical trouble maker,16its above-mentioned behavior has brought serious threats and challenges to the Maritime Silk Road construction, undermined friendly cooperative relations between China and Southeast Asian countries, affected the routine normal shipping security and damaged China’s marine rights and interests in the South China Sea.

In order to seize the development opportunity, domestic relevant provinces one after another have made planning, competed for an important status and asked for preferential policy and tried to get at the national level recognition and support, and looked forward to win a space in this national strategic layout. But currently the overall national planning on the One Belt and One Road construction has not yet promulgated, the initiative planning by provinces can hardly avoid emergence of regional function convergence, overlap of industrial structure layout and homogenized disorderly competition. A careful reading of the functional positioning and planning of the relevant provinces is not difficult to find repetition and similarity. In terms of slogans raised by these provinces, Shaanxi, Henan, and Chongqing compete over the Silk Road Economic Belt starting point, while Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong compete for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road starting point. From the perspective of opening international freight trains, connecting Asia and Europe, cities like Xi'an, Chongqing, Lianyungang, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Yiwu cities have opened a similar international freight trains between China and Europe. But these trains face a dilemma that they have adequate supply of freight from the starting city but return with scare supply of freight or even no supply of freight, and has caused a great waste of resources.

IV． The Realistic Path for the One Belt and One Road Construction

Countries along the One Belt and One Road should have solidarity and mutual trust and win-win cooperation, turn their political relations advantage, geographical adjacent advantage and economic complementary advantage into the advantages of practical cooperation, energetically create an Eurasian community of interests and community of destiny, strengthen the well-being of people of all countries concerned and jointly create new brilliance for the Silk Road.

China and Central Asian, South Asian countries are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, should jointly build the One Belt and One Road with innovative mode of cooperation, adhere to friendship from generation to generation, and become harmonious and co-existent neighbors, consolidate mutual support, become sincere and trusty friends, strengthen pragmatic cooperation and become good partners of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

China and Russia should strengthen cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the 20-country group, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, APEC, BRICS countries, East Asia Summit, CICA summit, etc. and promote the international political and economic order orientating toward more just and reasonable development. Both sides should actively look for feasible convergence between the Silk Road Economic Belt projects and the European Economic Union programs, promote cooperation in areas of oil and gas, nuclear energy, electric power, high-speed railway, aviation, communication, financing, etc. and strengthen all-dimensional infrastructure and interconnection construction.

China and EU countries should from a strategic height look at China- EU relations, and get the two huge forces, two markets, and two civilizations between them combined together, jointly shape China-EU four major partnerships featuring peace, growth, reform, and advanced culture, inject new power into China-EU cooperation, and make greater contributions to development and prosperity of the world.17China and EU countries should become peace partners and take the lead in taking the road of peaceful development; should become growth partners and provide development opportunities to each other; should become reform partners and lean from each other and support each other; and should become advanced culture partners and provide more nutrition for each other progress.

In order to become good neighbors, good friends and good partners to each other featuring rise and fall together, jointly sharing security and danger, and sticking together in times of difficulties in the same boat, China and ASEAN countries should first of all focus on sincerity and harmony. The two sides should treat each other sincerely and friendly, continuously consolidate political and strategic mutual trust and offer each other mutual support on major concerns. Secondly, adhere to the win-win cooperation. Both sides should set up the new concept of bilateral win-win, multilateral win-win and common win-win, further improve the China-ASEAN cooperation level for the Free Trade Area, and make great efforts to develop well China-ASEAN maritime cooperation partnership. Thirdly, offer help and protection to each another. Both sides should establish the new concept of comprehensive security, common security, cooperative security, sustainable security, and adhere to peaceful resolution through dialogue and consultation regarding the existing differences and disputes of territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests between China and some Southeast Asian countries. Fourthly, work for mutual affinity. Both sides should ensure youth, think-tank, Parliament, NGOs, news and media, etc. to solidify the public opinion basis for cooperation and enhance people's understanding and friendship between the two sides.

At present, both China and Arab countries are faced with a common mission and challenge to realize national rejuvenation, are needed to take the One Belt and One Road construction initiative as a guide to plan China-Arab relations future development and continuously deepen comprehensive cooperation. Firstly, adhere to joint discussions, jointly building, and jointly sharing principles. Joint discussions mean pooling the wisdom of all nations to collectively carry out beneficial projects, ensure the One Belt and One Road construction to take into consideration the interests and concerns of both sides and reflect the wisdom and creativity of the two sides. Jointly building means using its strong points and doing the best to bring both sides’ advantages and potential into full play as well as making perseverant efforts to push forward. Joint sharing means ensuring the construction results to benefit Chinese and Arabic people more and more fairly, build China-Arab community of interests and community of destiny.18Secondly, do a good job of top-level design. To take energy cooperation as the spindle, infrastructure construction and facilitating trade and investment as the two wings, the three high-tech fields of Nuclear power, aviation and space satellite, and new energy as breakthrough points to promote the resource factors to flow orderly and optimized allocation between China and Arab countries. Thirdly deepen cooperation forum building, based on the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, to enhance the China-Arab traditional friendship, strengthen policies communication, deepen pragmatic cooperation and continuously pioneer and innovate.

The One Belt and One Road construction is a national magnificent strategy, and needs various localities and departments to jointly build, commonly develop and become collectively prosperous. Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen the top-level design; the national related leading departments should make an overall planning and specific implementation blueprint, clarify important matters such as the functional positioning, industrial layout and resource reallocation for the provinces concerned, speed up formation of a sound development pattern of regional industrial cooperative integration, and joint enjoyment of complementary resources. Secondly, it is necessary to expand road interconnection. Inland cities should open more international passenger and freight routes, develop multi-form transportation, and shape economic corridors crossing the eastern and western regions and linking the northern and the southern regions, meanwhile should accelerate construction of infrastructure interconnection with neighboring countries and regions. Thirdly, it is necessary to strengthen the industrial docking cooperation. The western region should seize the opportunity of global industrial re-layout, and combine opening up wider toward the West with undertaking industrial transfer from the eastern and central regions in China, meanwhile we must adhere to the combination of "bringing in" with "going out", promote domestic industrial docking with overseas industries.

To sum up, the Chinese dream is always communicated with the world dream. The Silk Road once saw busy traffic of camels and boats, is now revitalizing & shining. As long as long people along the One Belt and One Road construction lines have solidarity and mutual trust, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, jointly build and collectively develop together, we will be able to realize the new Silk Road dream.

1. Xi Jinping, “Advance the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, and Build a Beautiful World of Cooperation and Win-win”, speech at Conference to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, People’s Daily, June 29, 2014, P.2.

2. Gao Hucheng, “Deepen Economic and Trade Cooperation and Jointly Create New Glory”, People’s Daily, July 2, 2014, P11.

3. Gong Wen, Tian Junrong, Wang Ke, “the New Silk Road Orients toward Common Prosperity”, People’s Daily, June 30, 2014, P.1.

4. Du Shangze, He Hong, “Xi Jinping Points out that China-Kazakhstan Strategic Cooperation can Make Great Progress during his meeting with Kazakhstan President”, People’s Daily, May 20, 2014, P.1.

5. Du Shangze, He Hong, “Xi Jinping Meets with Uzbekistan President”, People’s Daily, May 21, 2014, P.1

6. Du Shangze, Zhao Cheng, “Xi Jinping Meets with Pakistan President”, People’s Daily, May 23, 2014, P.1

7. Zhao Minghao, “Xi Jinping Meets with Bangladesh Prime Minister”, People’s Daily, June 11, 2014, P.1

8. The Joint Statement to Deepen China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Mutual Benefit and Win-win Cooperation, People’s Daily, April 1, 2014, P.2.

9. Foreign government officials talk about jointly building the Silk Road, People’s Daily, July 2, 2014, P.5.

10. Beijing Declaration by the Sixth Ministerial Conference of China-Arab Countries Cooperation Forum, People’s Daily, June 6, 2014, P.3.

11. Zhao Zhengyong, “Opening up to the West: A New opportunity for the Western Regional Fast Development – a Reading of the Strategic Conception for Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt by Comrade Xi Jinping”, People’s Daily, October 29, 2013, P.7.

12. Feng Jin, Yao Tong, “An International Seminar on Building the Silk Road Economic Belt held in Uzbekistan,” Xinjiang Daily, June 27, 2014, P.1.

13. Lu Jiping, “Gansu’s Blueprint for Building the Silk Road Economic Belt, Gansu Daily, May 23, 2014, p.1.

14. Chen Wu, “Develop Well the Maritime Cooperative Partnership, an In-Depth Reading of the Strategic Conception for Jointly Building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road by Comrade Xi Jinping”, People’s Daily, January 15, 2014, p.7.

15. Zhao Huasheng, “A Preliminary Reading of the U.S. New Silk Road”, Xinjinag Normal University Journal, (philosophy and social science edition), Urulmuqi, N.6, 2012, p15.

16. Hua Shengwen, “A Vicious Intention of Japan’s Interference in the South China Sea Disputes”, Overseas Eddition, People’s Daily, June 13, 2014, p1.

17. Du Shangze, Xu Liqun, Liu Ge, “Xi Jinping and European Council Chairman held talks”, People’s Daily, April 1, 2014, p1.

18. Xi Jinp[ing, “Develop further the Silk Road Spirit and Deepen China-Arab Cooperation - the Speech at the Opening ceremony of the Sixth Ministerial Conference of China-Arab Countries Cooperation Forum, People’s Daily, June 6, 2014, P.2.