China to
revive 'Southern Silk Road'
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-06/09/content_16595762.htm
KUNMING - China is looking to revive the ancient
"Southern Silk Road" linking its southwestern regions with Southeast
and South Asia, as it aims to boost
cooperation with countries along the once-booming trade route.
China has
had trade, religious and cultural exchanges with South Asian countries by way
of the "Southern Silk Road" since ancient times, Dilip Barua,
Minister for Industries of Bangladesh, said at the ongoing 8th China-South Asia
Business Forum in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan
province.
With a history of more than 2,000 years, the ancient trade
route, stretching over 2,000 kilometers long, was dubbed the "Southern Silk Road" by historians.
The route, originating from Chengdu,
capital city of Sichuan province, wandered
through cities in Sichuan and finally took
traders to Myanmar by way of
Yunnan
province. Then, it extended through to India,
Bangladesh and even the Middle East.
Similar to the prestigious Silk Road, the "Southern
Silk Road" contributed much to cultural exchanges between China and South
Asian countries.
As a country located at the junction connecting China, South Asian and Southeast Asian
countries, Bangladesh is
eager to strengthen cooperation in various fields with neighboring nations,
especially China,
Barua said.
As traders from South Asia started to eye the vast Chinese
market, economic and trade relations between China and South Asian countries
grew. Bilateral trade volume increased from $34.7 billion in 2006 to $93
billion in 2012, according to Li Jiheng, governor of Yunnan province at the forum.
China has
become an important trade partner and foreign investment source of South Asian
countries while these nations are serving as China's major overseas project
contracting markets and investment destinations, Li said.
Yunnan Province, which positions itself as the
"bridgehead" on the opening up of southwest China, has seen
its trade volume with South Asian countries grow 18 times over the past 15
years.
However, since a convenient inland passage is still
unaccessible, most business activities between China and these countries have
to choose the risky sea passage, detouring through the South China Sea, and
then by way of the narrow and perilous Strait of Malacca, to reach the South
Asian region. The mountain valley communities of Yunnan Province
and its backward transport infrastructures have hampered development of the
remote southwestern border province.
Yunnan has endeavored to revive the once-booming trade road
and become a significant transport hub since 1999 when the province started to
plan a transport system with the capital
city of Kunming as the center, linking East Asia, Southeast Asia and South
Asia, said Wang Xiliang, director of the Yunnan Development and Reform
Commission.
During Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India in May, China
and India called for
establishing an economic corridor among China,
India, Myanmar and Bangladesh
in order to link East and South Asia, two
crucial global economic growth points that would provide fresh impetus to Asian
economic integration and economic expansion.
Li Jiheng believed the move will boost pragmatic cooperation
between China
and South Asian countries.
The proposal was also welcomed and echoed by South Asian
countries at the ongoing first China-South Asia Expo, which is held in Kunming City from June 6 to 10.
T. M. Murtozaa Reza Chowhury, additional secretary of the
Ministry of Commerce of Bangladesh
said at the China-South Asia Business Forum that China
and South Asian countries are neighbors with glorious history, splendid culture
and long-standing relationships established 2,500 years ago thanks to the
ancient "Southern Silk Road."
Bangladesh
always underscores the need for cooperation as an effective tool for social and
economic development of the countries of the region, he said.
Rafeeque Ahmed, president of the Federation of Indian Export
Organizations, said at the forum that Indian companies have developed great
interest in Chinese and South Asian markets while calling for a convenient
transport passage.
South Asian countries have expanded cooperation with China
in various sectors, which is conducive to eliminating economic disparities and
enhancing regional stability, said Rajitha Senaratne, Minister of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka at the third China South Asia
Friendship Organizations' Forum, which was held during the expo.
In fact, China
is ready for the revival of the "Southern Silk Road"
and plans are under discussion, according to Yang Ye, a researcher with the
Development Research Center of Yunnan provincial government.
Besides the 16 existing international transport lines
linking Yunnan and some Great Mekong Sub-regional countries, seven trunk roads
originating from Yunnan extending to neighboring nations and provinces have
been promoted as high-grade highways, according to sources with the Transport
Department of Yunnan Province. These include China-Vietnam Highway, China-Laos-Thailand Highway, China-Myanmar
Highway, and a domestic section of China-India Highway.
With joint efforts by China,
India, Myanmar and Bangladesh,
a highway route starting from Yunnan to India by way of Myanmar have been approved by
relevant departments of the four countries, Yang said.
Experts from the four countries launched a field inspection
along the route in February 2012. The first auto race along the 2,800-km route
was successfully held from late February to early March this year.
The racing auto team started from the Indian city of Calcutta, traveled through Bangladesh
and Myanmar's major city of Mandalay entering China
via the port city of Ruili, Yunnan Province,
and finally reached Kunming.
Though the route of the new "Southern
Silk Road" has yet to be determined, the success of the race
across the four countries indicated that it is possible to build a transport
passage along the route, Yang said.
The new route will not only help promote mutual
understanding and exchanges between China and South Asian countries but
also deepen and expand economic and trade cooperation among these countries,
according to Yang.
On the other hand, the route is expected to serve as an
inland bridge linking South Asian countries and central, eastern coastal areas
of China,
so as to promote the development of western regions of the country and boost the
common prosperity of the nations along the route.
Chinese, US presidents meet for first summit
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-06/08/content_16594513.htm
SUNNYLANDS - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Barack Obama, met Friday in this
picturesque estate in Rancho Mirage, California,
to exchange views on major issues of common concern.