Chongqing - Following the Belt and Road Forum for Land-Sea Interconnected Development held on May 18, a delegation of prominent research fellows and business figures, led by the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government had a city-wide tour, to learn more about how Chongqing is further developing linkage and ties along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

They visited a key logistical park, two university-based international research institutes, and the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery. 

Logistics and research promote inter-connection

The Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park covers an area of 35.5 square kilometers in the western reaches of the city, where key trade infrastructure such as railway and container ports are located, and which provides a vital node for the Belt and Road Initiative, Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. 

More than ten years of development have seen the Park fully integrated with the BRI and accelerated the construction of Chongqing into an open inland highland with trade routes spanning four key directions. 

Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) has taken full advantage of its resources in foreign language education to develop related fields such as journalism and communication, pedagogy, economics, management, and law. It has also established the Academy of International and Regional Studies and runs two academic journals, Foreign Language and Literature and English Studies. As a result, SISU has become one of the most important centers for research in foreign languages, culture, trade, business, and international relations in the whole of Southwest China.

Delegates next toured the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery, which overlooks the Yangtze and Jialing rivers as they converge before the iconic Yuzhong Peninsula. The Gallery provides a comprehensive overview of Chongqing's geography, sights, history, culture, development, and future ambitions. 

Nations working together for common goals

Danijel Nikolić, Chairman of the Assembly of the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade, has now visited Chongqing twice, deeply admires the unique geographical landscape, and expressed his amazement towards how the city has balanced modern development with historic preservation.

One day prior, Nikolić attended the Belt and Road Forum for Land-Sea Interconnected Development organized by the Chongqing Foreign Affairs Office and shared how the event provided an invaluable opportunity to exchange thoughts and visions to reach common goals with mutual benefits.

"We recognize the BRI is a multi-lateral endeavor and not geared towards any particular nation. The most crucial aspect is for everything to push in the same direction so this beautiful idea may come to fruition." Nikolić commented.

Professor Abel Kinoti, Director and Business Consultant of the China Research Center in Kenya, shared how China-driven cooperation projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway linking the seaport of Mombasa with Nairobi and other BRI-related infrastructure have brought gains to the region, with more excellent prospects envisaged in the future. 

"The aim is for the SGR to reach Kampala in Uganda, then onto Kigali in Rwanda, and ultimately as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The nation's new seaport of Lamu is also part of a future trade corridor extending into Cameroon and Ethiopia. They also completed the first express highway of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa within the city of Nairobi, so many very good things are taking place." Professor Kinoti explained.

The tour concluded with a visit to the China ASEAN Legal Research Center based at the Southwest University of Politics and Law, which possesses the highest level and coverage of legal resources for ASEAN countries in China. The center employs ASEAN country advisory committees and guest researchers, has built a database for China-ASEAN legal experts, and has signed cooperation agreements with national-level organizations ranging from ministries of justice to law firms and universities based in ASEAN.

This institution aims to cultivate high-end legal talent, jointly establish a legal consultation center, hold related forums, publish law review papers, construct a legal database and identification service platform for countries on the BRI, and provide advisory services for all interested sectors of society.