The New Maritime Silk Road,A Historic Choice

By+LI+GUANGHUI

THE concept of a 21st century Maritime Silk Road was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the ASEAN region in October 2013. President Xi proposed the strategy creatively， considering both the history of the region and its future against the current global climate. The New Maritime Silk Road and the New Silk Road Economic Belt together construct an important pillar of the Chinese dream of rejuvenating the nation. The idea of the New Maritime Silk Road has a profound historical background； but it is the optimum choice for the future.

The History of the Maritime Silk Road

Chinas Maritime Silk Road dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties （221 BC – AD 220）. According to the Book of Han （Hanshu）， at that time， Chinese people were already departing from the ports at Xuwen and Hepu（in todays Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， respectively） to journey across the South China Sea for exploration. Voyage records on the trips still exist today.

The Maritime Silk Road had always played a pivotal role in economic and cultural communication between East and West. Constantly extended， the route became a golden passage of transportation and trade. Beginning at Chinas southeastern coast and traversing the South China Sea， the course crossed the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf and extended as far as East Africa and Europe， forming a branching transportation network.

Among the abundant export commodities during the Sui （581-618） and Tang （618-907） dynasties， as its name suggests， silk was the main merchandise on the Silk Road； during the Song （960-1279） and Yuan （1271-1368） dynasties， porcelain became the primary export from China； during the Ming rule （1368-1644）， Chinese tea was the most popular merchandise in trade along the route. During the Ming Dynasty， diplomat and navigator Zheng He （1371-1433） led seven expeditions to the Indian Ocean， pioneering peaceful diplomacy and global trade. The 2，000-year-old Maritime Silk Road is an unparalleled， intercontinental trade route and a symbol of China reaching out to the wider world.

The New Maritime Silk Road

The proposal of a 21st century Maritime Silk Road was born out of the demands of upgrading the ASEAN-China relationship， a requirement of the new round of reform and opening-up in China and a prerequisite for realizing a modern， global strategic layout.

An important transit hub along both the sea and land Silk Roads， Southeast Asia has always been essential to Chinas international economic and trade cooperation， cultural exchanges and energy transport security. In November 2002， the Sixth China-ASEAN Summit was held in Phnom Penh， Cambodia. Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and 10 ASEAN leaders signed the Framework Agreement on ASEAN-China Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and proposed to strengthen the cooperation of economy， trade and investment between the contracting parties. They also agreed on promoting the trade in merchandise and services， realizing trade liberalization gradually， and establishing a China-ASEAN Free Trade Area （CAFTA） by 2010.

On October 8， 2003， Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the leaders of 10 ASEAN member nations issued the landmark Joint Declaration of the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN and China on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Bali， Indonesia， escalating bilateral ties to a higher level.

The construction of CAFTA was completed over a period of 10 years. During that time， economic and strategic ties between China and ASEAN have become closer. To deepen comprehensive economic cooperation， construct a closer community with common goals， promote economic development and improve the welfare of people in both China and ASEAN， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of the New Maritime Silk Road.

China has made striking achievements in more than 30 years of reform and opening-up， and is currently the second largest economy in the world. However， under complicated and volatile international political and economic situations， China has had to deepen reforms comprehensively， stimulate change with further opening-up and construct an open economic system in order to become a world power. The proposal of a modern Maritime Silk Road suits the sea change entailed by more reforms， greater opening-up and the transformation and upgrading of Chinas economy mode. The concept is to build a maritime economic corridor with great development potential. The implementation of this strategy will help enhance economic growth between inland China and coastal areas， and ultimately， much further afield， resulting in positive interaction between China and the world. The strategy will also allow China to make full use of resources in domestic and international markets， facilitating foreign companies to enter China and Chinese businesses to go global. It will also accelerate accessibility in both coastal and inland regions， expanding the range and depth of opening-up and cooperation.

On entering the 21st century， economic globalization accelerated. Major countries compete for development initiatives and dominance in international relationships. The U.S. has made a high-profile return to Asia. It has stimulated the progress of negotiations towards the Trans-Pacific Partnership （TPP） and simultaneously promoted the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partner- ship （TTIP） with the European Union. Agreements on the TPP and the TTIP will have a deep impact on the global economy and， specifically， on Chinas economy and trade. The multilateral trading system of the World Trade Organization will， therefore， be challenged or even face the danger of being undermined by new rules. Both the TPP and the TTIP， led by the U.S.， reject China. When agreements between these organizations are reached， they are likely to form the new rules of the world and China will be in a passive position and lose its voice. So， despite being the second largest economy in the world， China could find itself on the outskirts of the global arena. However， through implementation of the New Maritime Silk Road China is seeking a proactive stance in global governance and shaping its future global strategies in light of the latest world situations. The New Maritime Silk Road is all about helping China develop from an economic giant to an economic power and taking China from a regional power to a responsible world leader.

Strategic Positioning

Two routes of the New Maritime Silk Road are proposed： one crossing the South China Sea， the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean， reaching Southeast Asia， South Asia， West Asia， North Africa， and some countries in Europe； and the other passing through the Yellow Sea， the East China Sea， and the Sea of Japan， connecting North Korea， South Korea， Japan， and eastern Russia. These routes will provide a channel to deepen cooperation in economy and trade and expand cultural exchanges between China and the countries en route. They will also improve infrastructures in the region. Therefore， they will contribute to common development， mutual negotiation and cultural integration between China and relevant countries.

Specifically， to deepen cooperation in economy and trade means innovating cooperative methods and expanding the fields of interaction between China and the countries along the New Maritime Silk Road. It is envisaged that such interaction would enable all parties to realize a win-win situation and prosper together.

Improving infrastructures can be best explained in terms of increasing the investment in infrastructure projects and making proper plans so that the infrastructures can satisfy the needs of the development of economic cooperation.

In the process of building the New Maritime Silk Road， both China and other countries should negotiate and support one another. That is why enhancing communication is vital in the process of the routes creation. It is not only Chinas mission， but also a responsibility of all the nations that will benefit from another trade passage. Constant communication and mutual understanding are key to the success of the New Maritime Silk Road.

Expanding cultural exchanges is about exchange between contemporary cultures and driving a mix of diverse cultures to benefit cooperation in economy and trade.

The 21st century Maritime Silk Road not only encourages economic development and deepens the cooperation and exchange between China and other countries， but more importantly， it influences the political and economic climate of all parties. Its creation will reshape the future.

A New System

The notion of a 21st century Maritime Silk Road embodies friendly exchanges， mutual benefit and common development in maritime cooperation. China and its neighbors need to enhance policy negotiation， discuss interactions， and promote the growth of the New Maritime Silk Road together. The following are my suggestions for the smooth development of the sea route.

First， bilateral strategic trust should be strengthened between all countries concerned. To be specific， the strengthening process includes establishing a joint consultation framework among all countries along the New Maritime Silk Road； organizing a forum for development and cooperation； and exploring the best approaches to the sea roads construction.

Second， improve the infrastructures for interconnection. All nations involved should increase support to linking ports and harbors and construct a transport network， collaborating in the fields of harbor development， maritime logistics and port industries.

Third， enhance maritime economic cooperation. Countries along the New Maritime Silk Road should promote a maritime economy system， pool together resources， technologies and products， and explore two-way investment in industrial parks.

Fourth， build and take advantage of a new system for win-win cooperation. An up-to-date system will advance the joint management， cooperation， and development of coastal countries. At the same time， the countries involved should adopt unified standards in various fields of information， customs， and quality control. Necessary measures include： negotiating a mutual-recognition scheme； enhancing communication and cooperation of national customs and visa authorities； and establishing an international security cooperation mechanism to protect the maritime passage.