Ancient Chinese Capital unfolded to International Journalists exploring OBOR

News provided by

Sep 27, 2016, 01:20 ET

XI'AN, China, Sept. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 20 journalists from 14 countries in 4 continents visited Xi'an during the period from Sept 19 to Sept 24 under the invitation of Xi'an Municipal Government to explore the City's connection with the "One Belt One Road" initiative, as Mr. Shangguan Jiqing, the Mayor of Xi'an asserted to build Xi'an into "the most vigorous, most innovative, most widely influential and most strategic fulcrum city along the OBOR", during his meeting with the journalists. Global Times and huanqiu.com helped organizing the press trip to Xi'an.

Group photo of the journalists in G-aero, a maintenance and training company in Weibei Industrial Zone, where parts of China's own jet airliner C919 are made.

The journalists met with great openness when they visited several districts of Xi'an, which are Xi'an Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Xi'an Weibei Industrial Zone, Chanba Ecological District, Xi'an International Trade and Logistic Park, Qujiang New District, covering the spectrum of electronic industry, aviation, ecological reservation, international finance and logistics, as well as culture aspects of the city with up to 3000-year-history.

Xi'an was the ancient capital of China for more than 1000 years. However, it had been undergoing a long time declination since the 15^th century, while the Emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasty set their capital in Beijing, thus shifting political power away from Xi'an. The city revived after 1949 with heavy machinery, mining, electronics and aviation industries assigned by the central government, since its geographical location in the very center of China secures itself from oversea military threats. Xi'an became one of the most important industrial hubs and aviation R&D centers of China, for the sake of national security in 1960s.

Xi'an sees itself as the starting point of the Silk Road Economic Belt, a part of the concept of "One Belt One Road". Historically Xi'an had built up its connection with the Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe continent via the Silk Road since 1^st Century B.C. However, after the Reform and Opening-up, history never played as a comparative advantage for the City. "It is a city sitting neither by the boundary, nor by the coastal area or big riverside," said Mr. Shangguan, the mayor of Xi'an.

The OBOR opens a window for the city to look westward. The journalists were introduced to visit Railway Container Terminal in Xi'an International Trade and Logistic Park, where they found that the cargo train running from Xi'an to the central and eastern Europe had increased from one train per month to 3 trains per week. In the bonded area, the journalists were told that official policies encouraged international e-commerce and importation to maintain foreign trade more balanced.

Several enterprises, Focuslight for producing laser spare parts, Micron, a U.S. based semi-conductor producer in Xi'an, G-aero for aviation craft maintenance and training, hosted the journalist groups and introduced the investment environment, while presenting the willingness of Xi'an to cooperate with foreign entrepreneurs.

The most dramatic scenario took place in the Sept 23, when the journalist group witnessed the enthusiastic fans of movies stars in the Closing Ceremony of the 3^rd Silk Road International Film Festival. Sophie Marceau and Jackie Chan were among the stars along with Wu Yifan and Peng Yuyan, rising movie idols fancied by Chinese young people. The ceremony was held in Da Minggong Relic Part, which accommodated 17 Tang Dynasty emperors 1000 years ago, marking one of the most brilliant parts of the history of China.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160926/411717

SOURCE Huanqiu.com