Economic revival in the new Silk Road

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the rapid development of trade and tourism along the new Silk Road has led to the increasing symbiotic economic dependence of the regions along the route.

"If the regions along the new Silk Road fail to attain rapid development in trade and tourism, their economies could hardly be sustainable," Khalid Malik, UN coordinator and UNDP resident representative in China, said in Lanzhou, capital of northwestern Gansu Province, China View reported.

"If the transportation costs on the way can be cut by 20%, it will then be more competitive than by sea," he said at the two-day symposium held in Lanzhou. Malik added that the development in the new Silk Road will help rejuvenate trade and provide the communities in the regions along the route with new economic opportunities.

The new Eurasian Continental Bridge, otherwise known as the new Silk Road resembles the 2,100-year-old old Silk Road according to the original design in terms of its regional shape. The 10,900 kilometer route stretches from eastern China's ports of Lianyungang and Rizhao to as far as Amsterdam, Holland, and Antwerp, Belgium.

The two-day symposium, sponsored by the UNDP, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Information Industry and the Lanzhou People's Government, was held to discuss plans to expand the influence of the continental bridge and to revive the Silk Road. Emphasis was placed on the development of modern logistics as well as the establishment of cooperative networks among cities along the new Silk Road in China.