Stig Östlund

onsdag, mars 26, 2014

In the Footsteps of History



UPDATED: March 24, 2014 NO. 13 MARCH 27, 2014
A proposed economic belt along the ancient Silk Road aims to lift regional economies, notwithstanding the many obstacles in its path
By Zhou Xiaoyan


PROGRESS ON TRACK: Workers sort out railway tracks in Hami, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Intensive railway construction in Xinjiang has consolidated the region's status as a transportation hub in west China and contributed to the momentum of the region's growth (CAI ZENGLE)

The very mention of Silk Road evokes memories of the good old times for the western region of China. In times past, countless hardy and courageous merchants used their camels to carry silk, fine chinaware and tea and ventured warily along a series of ancient trade routes that stretched thousands of km from west China to the Mediterranean Sea, linking China with central Asia and even Europe.
Now, plans are afoot to bring back the glory days as China proposes a modern version of the world-famous trade route.
In a speech at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University in September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to establish a silk road economic belt, similar to the Silk Road of more than 2,000 years ago, to boost political and economic ties between China and Eurasian countries. The trans-Eurasian project would target more than 3 billion people and represent the single biggest market in the world, one with unparalleled potential.
In the government work report to the Second Session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stated that the government will push forward the establishment of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
During the NPC annual session, Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said the Central Government's policies for the proposed belt will be released soon.

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