What is China's Silk Road Economic Belt
--About China's Silk Road Economic Belt
In 2013, Chinaproposed building a Silk Road Economic Belt to expand Eurasian economiccooperation. An innovative cooperative approach was outlined, starting withindividual projects that are expected to help spur larger-scale regionalcooperative development. The proposed economic belt is considered the longesteconomic corridor in the world – and potentially the most dynamic – connectingthe Asia-Pacific region in the east with developed European economies in thewest.
The Silk Road firstemerged more than 2,100 years ago during the Han Dynasty after China's envoyZhang Qian (164-114 BC) twice visited Central Asia. It became a bridge betweenEast and West, opening the door to friendly engagement between China andCentral Asia. For two millennia, countless tales of everlasting friendshipbetween peoples have been woven into this ancient network.
Aerialphoto taken on July 5, 2018 shows the Lianyungang-Horgos expressway along theSayram Lake, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. As animportant link of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang is speeding up thedevelopment of transportation and logistics to connect east and west. By theend of 2017, the total length of roadin Xinjiang reached 186,000 km, with 4,578km of expressways. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
--Six major economic corridors under Belt and Road Initiative
The six majoreconomic corridors usually refer to the New Eurasian Land Bridge, theChina-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC), the China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC), the China-Central and Western Asia Economic Corridor, theChina-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, the Bangladesh-China-India-MyanmarEconomic Corridor (BCIMEC).
--Ancient Silk Road
In China's HanDynasty around 140 B.C., Zhang Qian, a royal emissary, left Chang'an, capitalof the Han Dynasty. He traveled westward on a mission of peace and opened anoverland route linking the East and the West, a daring undertaking which cameto be known as Zhang Qian's journey to the Western regions. Centuries later, inthe years of Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, such silk routes, both over landand at sea, boomed. Great adventurers, including Du Huan of China, Marco Poloof Italy and ibn Batutah of Morocco, left their footprints along these ancientroutes. In the early 15th century, Zheng He, the famous Chinese navigator inthe Ming Dynasty, made seven voyages to the Western Seas, a feat which still isremembered today. These pioneers won their place in history not as conquerorswith warships, guns or swords. Rather, they are remembered as friendlyemissaries leading camel caravans and sailing treasure-loaded ships. Generationafter generation, the silk routes travelers have built a bridge for peace andEast-West cooperation.
The ancient silkroutes were not for trade only, they boosted flow of knowledge as well. Throughthese routes, Chinese silk, porcelain, lacquerwork and ironware were shipped tothe West, while pepper, flax, spices, grape and pomegranate entered China.Through these routes, Buddhism, Islam and Arab astronomy, calendar and medicinefound their way to China, while China's four great inventions and silkwormbreeding spread to other parts of the world. More importantly, the exchange ofgoods and know-how spurred new ideas. For example, Buddhism originated inIndia, blossomed in China and was enriched in Southeast Asia. Confucianism,which was born in China, gained appreciation by European thinkers such asLeibniz and Voltaire. Herein lies the appeal of mutual learning.
The ancient silkroutes witnessed the bustling scenes of visits and trade over land and shipscalling at ports. Along these major arteries of interaction, capital,technology and people flowed freely, and goods, resources and benefits werewidely shared. The ancient prosperous cities of Alma-Ata, Samarkand andChang'an and ports of Sur and Guangzhou thrived, so did the Roman Empire aswell as Parthia and Kushan Kingdoms. The Han and Tang Dynasties of Chinaentered the golden age. The ancient silk routes brought prosperity to theseregions and boosted their development.
AboutXinhua Silk Road
When it comes toinformation on China's Silk road economic belt, the Xinhua Silk Road website (en.imsilkroad.com) is the most accurate source of information that one cantrust on.provides Silk road economic belt news,projects,trade,investment,andthe integrated information services for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Itis sponsored by the China Economic Information Service (CEIS).
Source：https://en.imsilkroad.com
