Global Times: Past and present of Maritime Silk Road key to China-Indonesia ties and international trade
JAKARTA,Nov. 17, 2022/PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived inBali, Indonesiafor the Group of 20 (G20) summit on Monday after which he addressed the summit on Tuesday, saying that faced with challenges, all countries should embrace the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, and advocate peace, development and win-win cooperation.
This is not the first time that the president has spoken inIndonesiaabout international cooperation.
In a speech to Indonesian parliament onOctober 3, 2013, Xi said that in order to build a new "Maritime Silk Road,"Chinawill strengthen maritime cooperation with ASEAN countries " to make good use of the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund set up by the Chinese government."
The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative (BRI) that Xi proposed aims to create a trade and infrastructure network that connectsAsiawithEuropeandAfricaalong ancient trade routes both over land and sea.
The history and culture of the Maritime Silk Road has long captured the imagination of the public inChina, leading to the establishment of related museums, such as the Maritime Silk Road Museum inSouth China'sGuangdong Province.
Ancient glory
Thousands of years ago,Chinaand other countries were connected by the ancient Maritime Silk Road that got its start during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC-256BC), matured during the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) and flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Seen as the world's most ancient maritime route, the Maritime Silk Road was one of the most important sea passages for trade and cultural exchanges betweenChinaand foreign countries in ancient times.
BetweenChinaandIndonesia, the ancient Maritime Silk Road has played a great role in trade and cultural exchanges. Since the Tang Dynasty,Chinasaw great progress in trade, shipbuilding and the maritime industry. The development of active overseas exchanges allowed trade relations betweenChinaand other nations in the region around what is todayIndonesiaflourish.
Indonesia'sspecial location and numerous islands made it an important transit point along the Maritime Silk Road and distribution center for goods fromChinaand other regions includingEurope,South AsiaandWest Asia.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese mariner, explorer and diplomatZheng Hewas commissioned by the Yongle Emperor to command seven expeditionary voyages, which ended up traveling toSoutheast Asia,South Asia,West AsiaandEast Africafrom 1405 to 1433.
Zheng's voyages enhanced official trade and communication between the Ming and the governments of other countries became more frequent. According to historical records, ancient kingdoms inIndonesiasent their envoys to present gifts toChinamore than 50 times during the Ming Dynasty.
Throughout the history of the Maritime Silk Road,Indonesiahas always been "the only way that must be passed" along this sea route, Wang Jianxin, the first scholar inChinato conduct overseas Silk Road research, told the Global Times.
By passing by this significant transfer point, Chinese traders planted the seeds forChina'scultural presence in the Southeast Asian country.
"Especially the descendants of immigrants, many of them have a Chinese cultural background, especially Southern Chinese, who moved toIndonesiacenturies ago."
In the eyes of Chinese cultural researcher Xiao Shuming, such an early cultural transformation along the Maritime Silk Road paved the way for contemporaryChinaandIndonesiato understand each other.
"Because of the ancient Maritime Silk Road,Indonesiais now the home to the largest number of overseas Chinese. But this isn't just a number, when people migrate, their lifestyles, traditions and beliefs migrate too," Xiao said.
BRI creates more opportunities
Based on the centuries of exchanges between the two nations through the Maritime Silk Road, cooperation betweenChinaandIndonesia今天只有增加和深化。两个不rtant BRI countries, cooperation betweenIndonesiaandChinahas been upgraded in the areas of politics, economics, culture and education, far beyond the simple exchange of light commodities in ancient times.
According to experts, relations betweenChinaandIndonesiaare becoming more closely aligned and as trade between the two countries rises, so too do exchanges of culture.
This deepening cooperation has also brought an increasing demand for language talents, which has inspired young people from both nations to seek out more opportunities for cultural communication, experts noted.
Take current Silk Road e-commerce platforms as an example. InIndonesia, which has a huge number of millennials, around 63.5 million, there is a huge demand for e-commerce.
"The establishment of Silk Road e-commerce platforms has provided more opportunities for cooperation between citizens in the two countries, especially among young customers," Indonesian sinologistNovi Basukitold the Global Times.
The publics have been benefiting fromChina-Indonesiacollaboration under the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative in recent years, Paulus Rudolf Yuniarto, a researcher from the Research Center for Area Studies, told the Global Times.
"Infrastructure investments made through the initiative, such as roads and seaports, directly benefit them by increasing their income, while investments by Chinese smartphone firms into technological infrastructure and e-commerce inIndonesiahelp employ many people," the researcher said.
Experts are optimistic about the future development of the 21st Maritime Silk Road. Yuniarto noted that the initiative indicates a development trend in economic, social and cultural fields. Chinese investment through the Belt and Road Initiative inIndonesiacan reach a new level, as can bilateral relations based on equality, harmony, and mutual benefit.
SOURCE Global Times
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