The "Belt and Road" initiatives will bring new opportunities to the inland Sichuan Province, said Xie Kaihua, an NPC deputy and director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce.
Xie said the initiatives will bring Sichuan rare opportunities to develop an export economy and stimulate new growth in the province's foreign trade. "Sichuan used to trade with mainly developed countries and invest mostly in Africa. This will change in the future. Some enterprises with surplus production capacity will be forced to go out to the international market to take care of their surplus capacity. Sichuan used to export mainly machinery and textile products. With the speeding up of outbound trade, exports of machinery and textile products will grow rapidly," Xie added.
Sichuan intends to be integrated into the "Belt and Road" initiatives by building itself into a supportive base for both initiatives. Over the next three years, Sichuan will cooperate with 20 key countries among the over 60 countries along the routes of the proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. 100 enterprises in Sichuan will actively engage in external trade, two-way investment and overseas cooperation on 50 major projects. This cooperative initiative has been named the "251 Action Plan."
Sichuan plans to hold the "Western China (Sichuan) Import Exhibition and International Investment Conference" to promote itself as an important platform for trade and communication for countries involved in the initiatives. The conference will provide information on leading technology and equipment, key components, service industry and commodities from overseas countries. In order to enhance investment and trade, conference organizers are inviting representatives from developed and emerging economies, countries and regions involved in the initiatives, sister cities of Sichuan Province and a variety of domestic enterprises.
