Intl seminar discusses 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

An international seminar on the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road is held in Quanzhou, a major port city in Fujian Province in southeast China, on Feb 11 to 12, 2015. [Photo / China.org.cn]

An international seminar discussing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road opened in the city of Quanzhou in Fujian Province on Feb 11.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in his speech in the Indonesian parliament in October 2013, the initiative has drawn the attention of the international community.

At the opening ceremony of the "International Seminar on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative" on Wednesday, Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office, emphasized the "spirit of the Silk Road" which is characterized by "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit."

He called for countries along the route to carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road and "build a solid foundation for political mutual trust," "give new impetus to win-win cooperation," "keep faith in peaceful development" and "reinforce cultural bonds."

The city of Quanzhou is an important hub on the ancient Maritime Silk Road and has witnessed China's trade and exchange with other countries for hundreds of years.

You Quan, secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee, said in his speech that Quanzhou and the whole of Fujian Province will make efforts to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The province will strengthen transportation connectivity and information communication, cultivate a diverse approach to trade, actively deepen maritime cooperation with other nations, and push forward people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Zhou Mingwei, president of the China International Publishing Group, which is one of the co-hosts of the seminar, noted in his speech that the initiative will face "disturbing factors" including "geopolitical conflicts, frictions in realistic interests, and historical and cultural differences." Thus he called for the countries involved to forge a sense of shared community and start the initiative with "pragmatic cooperative projects."

Others addressing the opening ceremony included Cai Mingzhao, president of Xinhua News Agency, Wang Weiguang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Zhang Fan, vice chairman of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Fujian Academy of Social Sciences.