21st Century Maritime Silk Road from a Global Perspective

In the 21st century, countries have become more inter-connected by the ocean in conducting market, technological and information exchanges. "The construction of a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is a global initiative that pursues win-win results through cross-border cooperation. It is thus of great importance to view it from the perspective of multi-polarization, economic globalization and the co-existence and balancing of cooperation and competition". Oceans contain a treasure of resources for sustainable development. The Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century will further unite and expand common interests between China and other countries situated along the route, activate potential growth and achieve mutual benefits in wider areas. The Maritime Silk Road will extend from Asia to the Middle East, East Africa and Europe, and it will mainly rely on ASEAN countries. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will cover more than 20 countries and regions that share a broad consensus on enhancing exchanges, friendship, promoting development, safety and stability within the region and beyond.

China would focus on upgrading the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and extending it to the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. By virtue of connecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the "Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor" and the "Silk Road Economic Belt," China will build an open, safe and effective maritime road that can facilitate trade, transportation, economic development and the dissemination of culture. The Road will also make good use of the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund and enhance pragmatic maritime cooperation. On June 5, 2014 President Xi Jinping urged Arab countries to join China's "Silk Road Initiative" that would build the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the 21st Century "maritime Silk Road." China is now the Arab world's second-largest trading partner and the largest trading partner for nine Arab countries. China's trade with EU, ASEAN, Middle East and African countries is spread over three continents Asia, Europe and Africa would double to a staggering magnitude of $3 trillion by the end of this decade. President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan also agreed on building the Silk Road economic belt, and ready to work with China to enhance economic cooperation, traffic connectivity, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges (Xinhua/Wang Ye, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered speech at the Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sep 7, 2013).

President Xi Jinping expressed the view that the Silk Road boasts a 3-billion population and a market that is unparalleled both in scale and potential to facilitate trade and investment and support each other on issues concerning sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and other core interests, and jointly crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as drug-trafficking and transnational organized crimes.

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