China�s �One belt, one road� initiative

Yunnan turns into the nerve-centre  

Yunnan has become the nerve-centre of China’s ‘One belt, One road’ initiative, conceived by the country’s top leaders eying a greater relations and deeper cooperation with the South Asian and South East Asian countries. Yunnan, the 8th largest province of China, shares a common border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam along a boundary line that is 4,060 kilometers long. Within the province, there are 25 counties and cities which are adjacent to the above-mentioned 3 countries.
“The province, having an area of 3,94,000 square kilometre, is one of the provinces in China with the longest history of opening-up and has been an important gateway connecting China with South and Southeast Asian countries”, said Zhao Jin, Standing member of the Yunnan Provincial Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Living alongside the Southern Ancient Silk Road, people in Yunnan has always been open and eager to go out exploring the world, he added while addressing a group of journalists from 9 South Asian countries at a function in the headquarter of the Yunnan Daily Press Group in Kunming. “In early 2015, President Xi Jinping proposed to build Yunnan into a pivot of China’s opening up to South and Southeast Asia. This has pointed out the new direction for Yunnan’s development,” he mentioned. “One Belt and One Road” refers to the initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 for building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Yunnan, located in the pivot position for the ancient Silk Road in South China, becomes an important province for the proposed project.
During a briefing, Ma Yong, Deputy Director of the Scientific Research Office, Yunnan Academy of Social Science, said, Yunnan is the land where the Ancient Southern Silk Road passed though.
“The Ancient Southern Silk Road started from Sichuan Province and stretched all the way to Myanmar, India and Pakistan and even to the Middle East through Yunnan. It was mainly composed of two routes, the West Route and the East Route. The West Route, or the Maoniu Route, originated from Chengdu of Sichuan, wandered through

Sichuan and took traders to Myitkyina or Bhamo of Myanmar and to other South and Southeast Asian Countries by the way of Dali and Baoshan in Yunnan”.
Ma also pointed out that the East Route, or the Wuchi Route, began from Chengdu, passed through Yibin, Zhaotong, Qujing and reached Kunming, where one branch went to Vietnam and the other one went to Dali and joined the West Route.
“The Ancient Southern Silk Road is mainly used by trade caravans who transported commodities to and fro along the Road. In the 411’ century BC, Chinese caravans left Chengdu with lacquer ware, cloth, silk on their horse backs and travelled all the way though Yunnan to the ancient South and Southeast Asian countries from land crossings such as Dehong and Baoshan and started business with locals” he added.
Liu Weisheng, office director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce said, Yunnan possesses unique geographical advantages to open to Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia and the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. In the course of building the province into a pivot of China’s opening up to South and Southeast Asia, Yunnan will attach great importance to building a regional economic center, breaking the bottleneck of infrastructures, developing an open economy, reinforcing construction of public service platforms, and deepening good-neighborly relationship and practical cooperation.
According to Ni Homng, Director of the Policy Office of the Yunnan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Yunnan will concentrate on accomplishing five infrastructure networks, namely, road network, airline network, energy security network, water network and the Internet, by expediting construction of comprehensive transportation system, energy pipeline network, logistics channel and telecommunication facilities.
All these are aimed at linking South and Southeast Asia, with Southwest China and hinterland in East and Middle China through building interconnectivity hubs, and by creating a regional electric power exchange hub and building a telecommunication hub.
In terms of deepening good-neighborly relationship and solid cooperation, Yunnan will positively get involved in BCIM Economic Corridor building and GMS cooperation. “We shall carry out high-rank reciprocal visits, economic and trade contacts, cultural exchange, etc. with neighboring countries and Sister cities, implement some key cooperation projects, intensify aids to people’s livelihoods and communications, and consolidate the foundation of the society and the will of people”. Xu Tiyi, President of the Yunnan Daily Press Group said, Yunnan is going to be built into a pivot of China’s opening up to South and Southeast Asia in terms of economy, transportation, markets, social public service, science, technology and education, etc. To be specific, expected development of the province should be accomplished in the building of a regional economic center, a regional pivot, a new highland for China’s further opening, a public service base, and a supportive power to establish harmonious ties with neighboring areas, he added.

 

China�s �One belt, one road� initiative

Yunnan turns into the nerve-centre

Yunnan has become the nerve-centre of Chinas One belt, One road initiative, conceived by the countrys top leaders eying a greater relations and deeper cooperation with the South Asian and South East Asian countries. Yunnan, the 8th largest province of China, shares a common border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam along a boundary line that is 4,060 kilometers long. Within the province, there are 25 counties and cities which are adjacent to the above-mentioned 3 countries. The province, having an area of 3,94,000 square kilometre, is one of the provinces in China with the longest history of opening-up and has been an important gateway connecting China with South and Southeast Asian countries, said Zhao Jin, Standing member of the Yunnan Provincial Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Living alongside the Southern Ancient Silk Road, people in Yunnan has always been open and eager to go out exploring the world, he added while addressing a group of journalists from 9 South Asian countries at a function in the headquarter of the Yunnan Daily Press Group in Kunming. In early 2015, President Xi Jinping proposed to build Yunnan into a pivot of Chinas opening up to South and Southeast Asia. This has pointed out the new direction for Yunnans development, he mentioned. One Belt and One Road refers to the initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 for building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Yunnan, located in the pivot position for the ancient Silk Road in South China, becomes an important province for the proposed project. During a briefing, Ma Yong, Deputy Director of the Scientific Research Office, Yunnan Academy of Social Science, said, Yunnan is the land where the Ancient Southern Silk Road passed though. The Ancient Southern Silk Road started from Sichuan Province and stretched all the way to Myanmar, India and Pakistan and even to the Middle East through Yunnan. It was mainly composed of two routes, the West Route and the East Route. The West Route, or the Maoniu Route, originated from Chengdu of Sichuan, wandered through Sichuan and took traders to Myitkyina or Bhamo of Myanmar and to other South and Southeast Asian Countries by the way of Dali and Baoshan in Yunnan. Ma also pointed out that the East Route, or the Wuchi Route, began from Chengdu, passed through Yibin, Zhaotong, Qujing and reached Kunming, where one branch went to Vietnam and the other one went to Dali and joined the West Route. The Ancient Southern Silk Road is mainly used by trade caravans who transported commodities to and fro along the Road. In the 411 century BC, Chinese caravans left Chengdu with lacquer ware, cloth, silk on their horse backs and travelled all the way though Yunnan to the ancient South and Southeast Asian countries from land crossings such as Dehong and Baoshan and started business with locals he added. Liu Weisheng, office director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce said, Yunnan possesses unique geographical advantages to open to Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia and the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. In the course of building the province into a pivot of Chinas opening up to South and Southeast Asia, Yunnan will attach great importance to building a regional economic center, breaking the bottleneck of infrastructures, developing an open economy, reinforcing construction of public service platforms, and deepening good-neighborly relationship and practical cooperation. According to Ni Homng, Director of the Policy Office of the Yunnan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Yunnan will concentrate on accomplishing five infrastructure networks, namely, road network, airline network, energy security network, water network and the Internet, by expediting construction of comprehensive transportation system, energy pipeline network, logistics channel and telecommunication facilities. All these are aimed at linking South and Southeast Asia, with Southwest China and hinterland in East and Middle China through building interconnectivity hubs, and by creating a regional electric power exchange hub and building a telecommunication hub. In terms of deepening good-neighborly relationship and solid cooperation, Yunnan will positively get involved in BCIM Economic Corridor building and GMS cooperation. We shall carry out high-rank reciprocal visits, economic and trade contacts, cultural exchange, etc. with neighboring countries and Sister cities, implement some key cooperation projects, intensify aids to peoples livelihoods and communications, and consolidate the foundation of the society and the will of people. Xu Tiyi, President of the Yunnan Daily Press Group said, Yunnan is going to be built into a pivot of Chinas opening up to South and Southeast Asia in terms of economy, transportation, markets, social public service, science, technology and education, etc. To be specific, expected development of the province should be accomplished in the building of a regional economic center, a regional pivot, a new highland for Chinas further opening, a public service base, and a supportive power to establish harmonious ties with neighboring areas, he added.