The Belt and Road is the abbreviation of "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road", and in September and October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed cooperation initiatives to build the "New Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" respectively.
The Silk Road,generally refers to the land Silk Road, which is broadly divided into the land Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road. The "Silk Road" in a narrow sense refers to the land passage that began in Chang'an or Luoyang in ancient China, passed through Gansu and Xinjiang, and reached Central Asia and West Asia, and connected the countries of the Mediterranean.
The starting point of the Silk Road was based on the national capital, starting in Chang'an (now Xi'an) during the Western Han Dynasty and Luoyang during the Eastern Han Dynasty, during which the Silk Road was extended to Europe for the first time. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties had Luoyang, Chang'an, Pingcheng, Yecheng and other starting points, and once took Jiankang as the starting point; the Sui and Tang dynasties were the Tang Dynasty West City, Kaiyuanmen and the Sui and Tang Dynasty Luoyang City; and the Northern Song Dynasty was Kaifeng. Its original role was to transport silk produced in ancient China.
In 1877, the German geographer Richthofen named "the Silk Road" in his book "China", "from 114 BC to 127 AD, the Western Regions communication route between China and Central Asia, China and India with silk trade as the medium", this term was quickly accepted by the academic community and the public, and officially used.
"Maritime Silk Road" is the ancient China and foreign trade and cultural exchanges of the sea channel, the road is mainly in the South China Sea as the center, so also known as the South China Sea Silk Road, formed in the Qin and Han dynasties, developed in the Three Kingdoms to the Sui Dynasty, prosperous in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming period, is the oldest known sea route.
On June 22, 2014, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan jointly declared the eastern section of the land Silk Road, "Silk Road: Road Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor", which was successfully declared a World Cultural Heritage Site, becoming the first project to be successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List through cross-border cooperation.
In ancient times, the Belt and Road Initiative was a link for countries to exchange trade and culture. It played an important role in the trade between ancient China and neighboring countries. Through the land and sea transportation network, China's silk, tea, porcelain and other goods are continuously exported to countries along the route, and jewelry, medicinal materials and spices from Central Asia, West Asia and Europe also enter the Chinese market. This concept of mutual benefit and win-win openness laid the foundation for the prosperity and strength of ancient China.
In addition to economic cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative is also an important platform for cultural exchanges between countries. Through various forms of exchanges and cultural exchange activities, the cultures of different countries and regions can understand and Xi learn from each other. The Belt and Road Initiative is not only a road of trade, but also a road of people-to-people exchanges.
In modern times, the Belt and Road Initiative has become one of the important platforms for international cooperation in the world. With the recovery of the world economy and the continuous advancement of globalization, countries are becoming more and more connected. As one of the world's largest developing countries and one of the regions with the largest concentration of developing countries, China actively promotes the Belt and Road Initiative to promote economic development and regional stability.
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, it has received support and response from many countries and regions. So far, more than 60 countries and regions have joined the initiative. These countries and regions cover Asia, Africa, Europe and other regions, covering various fields such as economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure construction, and cultural exchanges.
With the active promotion of the Chinese government, the Belt and Road Initiative is making continuous progress. For example, the construction of connectivity between China and Southeast Asian countries has achieved remarkable results. Chinese enterprises have carried out infrastructure construction and investment in many countries in Southeast Asia, which has promoted the development of local economy and social progress. In addition, China has actively participated in economic cooperation and political dialogue in Central and Eastern Europe, which has promoted the development and stability of the region.
In short, the Belt and Road Initiative is an important link and platform for development throughout the ages. Relying on the existing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms between China and relevant countries, and with the help of existing and effective regional cooperation platforms, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to borrow the historical symbols of the ancient Silk Road, hold high the banner of peaceful development, actively develop economic cooperation with partners, and jointly build a community of interests, destiny and responsibility with political mutual trust, economic integration and cultural inclusiveness. It not only brings economic opportunities and cooperation, but also promotes cultural and people-to-people exchanges between different countries and regions. In the future, we believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will continue to play an important role and make greater contributions to world peace and development.