One of the former maritime hubs in China’s ancient Silk Road trade route, southeastern China’s Guangdong Province is seeking to restore its economic influence in the South China region through achievements in international trade and economic cooperation.
"Guangdong is making efforts to build a major center for economic trade cooperation with countries and regions as China is revitalizing the ancient Maritime Silk Road," Guangdong Communist Party Secretary Hu Chunhua said at the Imperial Spring Forum in Guangzhou on Saturday.
The forum was attended by former foreign leaders such as Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia; Felipe Calderon, former President of Mexico; Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy; and Nils Daniel Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden.
According to Hu, Guangdong's trade value with 14 countries involved in the modern-day Maritime Silk Road initiative went up by 12.4 percent year-on-year during the first eight months of 2015.
China is currently pushing forward a nationwide plan to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to "enhance regional connectivity and prosperity in countries along the ancient routes," according to the China Daily newspaper.
"The Belt and Road Initiatives provide huge opportunities for Guangdong," said Hu. "We want to further boost overall cooperation with overseas countries and regions involved in the initiative and help upgrade the province's industry."
Hu noted that Guangdong already has 53 airlines ahd 92 maritime routes connecting Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australia.
"Guangdong is making efforts to stabilize the economy amid the global economic slowdown. We have already introduced a long-term strategy to develop an innovation-driven economy. Guangdong is a vast market for international businesses, especially those from the Belt and Road parties," he added.
Guangdong accounts about one ninth of the China's economy, with the fourth-highest GDP per capita among the provinces in the mainland with 5.267 billion yuan ($815.53 billion) as of 2011.