Jiangsu backs continuous BRI benefits

Province has played role in promoting initiative's development in past decade

Jiangsu, located at the intersection of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, is dedicated to President Xi Jinping's call to develop the Belt and Road Initiative and is actively participating in its construction, a senior official of the province has said.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Ma Xin, executive vice-governor of the province, emphasized that Jiangsu is working relentlessly to become a demonstration region of the BRI and achieve comprehensive and high-level opening-up.

Jiangsu is making full use of its strategic location and rich resources to contribute to the implementation of the BRI, Ma said, highlighting the progress made in key countries and regions involved in the BRI, such as the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan.

In the UAE, the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park is under construction with 23 projects signed and 15 projects already underway. In Kazakhstan, 16 projects have been signed, opening up new opportunities for cooperation in various fields.

During his recent visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Ma said he witnessed the expansion of trade and economic exchanges between China and BRI countries, as well as the deepening of cooperation.

From January to September, Jiangsu operated 1,667 China-Europe and China-Asia freight trains, up 13.4 percent year-on-year. It maintained stable operations on 24 China-Europe and China-Asia railway routes, covering over 20 countries in Europe and Asia.

Jiangsu has built 10 ports with comprehensive throughput capacity exceeding 2.3 billion metric tons and opened 89 international container routes.

Over the past decade, the province has had an average annual growth of 7.2 percent for its imports and exports with Belt and Road partner countries.

Ma emphasized that Jiangsu is deeply involved in international cooperation and has established cooperative platforms like the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Technology Transfer Center.

The province has seven cooperation parks established overseas, which have attracted about 350 enterprises and created 60,000 jobs, according to Ma.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Jiangsu and Belt and Road countries have been thriving, with the province establishing 146 pairs of sister cities, ranking it among the top in the country. Events like the Belt and Road Youth Sports Exchange Week have become important platforms for cultural exchanges.

The province has implemented five specific action plans to foster international comprehensive transportation systems, deepen international production capacity cooperation, promote Silk Road trade, upgrade key cooperation parks, and enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Jiangsu will leverage its location advantages to further deepen regional cooperation, establish demonstration zones for international cooperation, and promote international cultural exchanges by utilizing its abundant natural and cultural resources.

The province will implement specific plans to create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, legally sound and globally attractive, Ma said.