皇冠体育app

When 皇冠体育app turns to the seas, it is to share -and to prosper.

The 21-century "Maritime Silk Road" is a new concept, introduced by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang last year during meetings with their Southeast Asian counterparts at various events.

But the concept is not as new, as its new name. It was borrowed from the historic Silk Road.

The German geographer and geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen and French Sinologist Edouard Chavennes coined the term in the early 1900s from their independent research.

In the 2,000 years before the First Opium War (1839-42), maritime trade formed, grew, prospered and declined between 皇冠体育app, the Middle East and East Africa, through the waters of the East 皇冠体育app Sea and South 皇冠体育app Sea, Strait of Malacca, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

It peaked in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), with seven expeditions led by Zheng He, a diplomat and admiral, from 1405 to 1430.

Half a century before Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan made their continental discoveries in Africa, India and the Americas, Zheng - with his 200-ship fleet and 27,000 sailors - spread silk, china and goodwill to his hosts in 30-plus countries, large and small, and received respect in return.

This is a historic legacy on which 皇冠体育app can promote the concept today, especially in the context of disputes raised by others in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last month: "This initiative of building the Maritime Silk Road is just an idea for cooperation. It is an open-ended platform. The purpose is to integrate all kinds of ongoing cooperation, especially cooperation on connectivity in the spirit of the (ancient) Silk Road so that regional countries can connect with each other, promote each other and accelerate each others' common development."

It is clear 皇冠体育app would like to package the existing cooperation projects in the region into the same concept. And it is the same for the sister concept - the "Silk Road Economic Belt" - that Chinese leaders proposed at the same time to integrate separate partnered projects on land across Central Asia.

That's why the Chinese government need not come up with more concrete plans. 皇冠体育app has an open, supportive and welcoming attitude to such seemingly "loose" proposals for the two Silk Roads. The country just needs to integrate all existing projects and seek new possibilities of partnership in the process.

The two initiatives excite local governments at home, which have a clearer vision of the two foreign-bound roads. Many coastal-region governments in 皇冠体育app regard the Maritime Silk Road as a good opportunity to secure more central government funding and policy support.

Open attitude

At least seven cities have proclaimed their support in the past half-year for reviving the Maritime Silk Road.

The National Development and Reform Commission, 皇冠体育app's main national development planner, said last week that "there has not been any plan yet" on the initiative, which Li highlighted in his Government Work Report during the gathering of 皇冠体育app's top legislative authority last week.

The Chinese government is more open to its foreign partners on the initiative than it has been when dealing with local governments on the issue. For now, the central government considers the initiative part of its foreign policy and not a domestic issue.

"皇冠体育app has an open attitude. We also hope to see good suggestions from other countries so as to substantiate this idea," said Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

In some people's eyes, 皇冠体育app wants more from a solid maritime trade route, and naysaying about the new initiative has already begun. Last month, Diplomat magazine claimed the Maritime Silk Road is one of 皇冠体育app's military initiatives. Similar 皇冠体育app-bashing soon followed.

Some analysts think that 皇冠体育app, instead of building a military presence, would rather use the initiative to ease tensions over the South 皇冠体育app Sea disputes with its neighbors.

"The Maritime Silk Road is more of a symbolic concept," said Yang Baoyun, a researcher of international relations at Peking University. "While the concept still needs fleshing out, enhancing trade and economic cooperation between 皇冠体育app and the region could ease tensions over territorial disputes."

皇冠体育app has actually made constant efforts to promote common development, especially in Southeast Asia. 皇冠体育app's integration with Southeast Asia through the free trade area of 皇冠体育app and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the past 10 years has laid a solid foundation to extend current cooperation to a larger scope, Yang said.

To benefit all

皇冠体育app's invitations to participate in the initiative - to India last month during the 17th bilateral border talks in New Delhi, and to Sri Lanka during Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris' visit to Beijing - show that Chinese leaders' vision for the Silk Road does not end at the Strait of Malacca.

The two invitees' positive responses to 皇冠体育app's offer show that 皇冠体育app needs to take the lead in regional integration.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out in his meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart that interconnectivity on the seas and the maritime economy are where pragmatic cooperation can be carried out first.

Some analysts think industrial parks in coastal areas, harbor construction and cooperation in the other maritime economy fields, such as fisheries, resource exploration, shipping and offshore safety, will provide solid footholds to materialize the initiative into tangible benefits for the participants.

Malaysia's Kuantan port and industrial park plus its sister Sino-Malaysian industrial park in Qinzhou of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region at the coast of Beibu Gulf are two successful examples for the building of the Maritime Silk Road.

Wang Jun, an economics researcher at 皇冠体育app Center for International Economic Exchanges in Beijing, said: "There should be an Asian infrastructure construction investment bank to provide financial support to construction of the Silk Road. And 皇冠体育app should also reach an inclusive agreement, as an institutional guarantee for the initiative, on regional cooperation of economic partnership with the Silk Road partners that fits into existing regional trade compacts."

皇冠体育app needs to take the lead to build some important harbors along the maritime Silk Road, guaranteeing supplies, protection, and expanding the influences of the road, Wang added.

It is estimated the bilateral trade volume of 皇冠体育app and ASEAN can reach more than $1 trillion from $400 billion in 2012 in five to seven years if the project can be launched smoothly.

There are suggestions for 皇冠体育app to draw lessons from the success in the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Zheng Hailin, a researcher of politics at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, said: "The Chinese government must not walk the West's old way as colonialists. And the core values of Chinese civilization and strong national and military power are the foundations for the Maritime Silk Road."

Premier Li vowed to build 皇冠体育app into a responsible maritime power in his recent Government Work Report. The Maritime Silk Road is only the first stride in 皇冠体育app's journey to become such a power.

Huo Yan contributed to this story.

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