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Chairman Lu's Speech at 2017 Xi'an Silk Road Business Summit
8 Sep 2017

 

Consensus Navigates Actions, Cooperation Unites Forces, and Solidarity Creates Future

 

Chairman Lu Jianzhong

Xi'an, China

8 September 2017

 

Today, more than 600 distinguish guests from over 70 countries and regions are gathering in the Tang West Market to discuss our cooperation and development. It is our great honor to have Mr. Wang Qinmin, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of CPPCC. Hereby, please allow me to express my warm welcome to all leaders, guests, and friends here.

 

Economic committee of the National Committee of CPPCC, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and ICC China all gave great concern and support to SRCIC. President Jiang Zengwei of CCPIT organized the BRICS Xiamen Summit Business Forum a few days ago and he will attend our summit today. He was aboard at 6:00 this morning and now on his way here from Xi'an airport. We are touched and very grateful.

 

All leaders of Shaanxi and Xi'an give full support to the development of SRCIC. This June, Secretary Wang Yongkang of Xi'an City visited our HK headquarters and gave positive comments on SRCIC cooperation achievements. He also visited Tang West Market several times for support and guidance. At present, Xi'an Municipal Party Committee and Government are strongly proposing that SRCIC China Headquarters to settle down in the Chanba Consulate Area in Xi'an, and a Silk Road Culture Park to settle down in Chang’an District of Xi'an. These support will help SRCIC better contribute to Xi'an's local development. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the provincial and municipal party committees and governments.

 

Meanwhile, we are also very glad to have highly respected Chairman Kassar here today. Chairman Kassar is my most respected teacher and friend. He was the Chairman of ICC, and he is now the Honorary Chairman of the SRCIC, and General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries. Back in the 1950s, he promoted the signing of the first trade agreement between Lebanon and China and he has actively initiated Arabian business community to participate in the Belt and Road construction. In 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping conferred the “Sino-Arab Outstanding Contribution Award” to Chairman Kassar.

 

This April, during the period of SRCIC Roadshow in Lebanon, I invited Chairman Kassar to attend this summit in Xi'an. Today, Chairman Kassar, the most respected senior person, and his brother Mr. Adel Kassar are present here, which gets me warmly touched. This is the 56th time for him to come to China. After our discussion early in Lebanon, I'd like to take this opportunity to declare that the Tang West Market Silk Road Performance Center currently under construction is renamed as Adnan &Adel Kassar Silk Road Culture Center. The inauguration will be held this afternoon asan expression of our highest respect to Chairman Kassar for his outstanding contributions to the friendship and cooperation between China and Arab on a long term.

 

As we all know, the venue of our opening ceremony today-- Tang West Market Museum is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road in Sui and Tang Dynasties. The land under our feet is the relics that have witnessed a glorious history. All of us come from countries related to the Silk Road and we gather here at this Heritage Hall to discuss the development plan of co-building and co-sharing the Silk Road. To hold this summit here has profound historic meaning and is of great practical significance. To add one more fact, this museum is the first and solely non-government museum that has obtained the official recognition as one of the China's first-class museums, an example of private protection of national historical cultural relics. The museum is also the initiator of Silk Road International Museum Alliance. It has made active contributions to the promotion of culture exchange and people communication among the Silk Road countries.

 

Early last September, we held 2016Summit here with a great success. SRCIC members have increased from 36 to 81 over the past two years. We have held 6 major international meetings subsequently, organized 20 activities of member country visits, road shows, and cooperation conferences, sponsored 30 Ukrainian students to study in Xi'an. Together with Honorary Chairman Jemal and Executive Chairman Carrier of SRCIC, we also have the honor to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation this May in Beijing.

 

For two years, all SRCIC members have moved together towards our goals. Regardless of difficulties and obstacles, we have been working on pragmatic and mutual beneficial cooperation. SRCIC has obviously raised its influence in the international community.

 

For this summit, we will have one main forum, six parallel sessions, four special theme activities, and a signing ceremony of over ten agreements in terms of trade and culture projects. And also there are international culture week activities.

 

Last year, around 60 state-level chambers of commerce and international organizations signed the agreement of Jointly Establishing a Mechanism and Platform for International Industry and Commerce Cooperation, which has led to projects settle-down and good business cooperation. The highlights of such achievements also include the Proposal for Jointly Establishing rules and Standards of Transnational Artwork Trading, launching the Silk Road Transnational Alliance of Financial Leasing, Silk Road International Art Work Trade Platform, the Evaluation Center and Assessment Center.

 

And also, we will promote "online" and "air" connectivity through www.eSilkRoad.com and the application of Beidou traceability system. We are to sign the cooperative agreements with the Intergovernmental Commission TRACECA and China Belt and Road Big Data Technology Co., Ltd. All these new achievements fully demonstrate that the work of the SRCIC has been steadily pushed forward.

 

A few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping interpreted the profound content of jointly building a global community of a shared future again at the 9th BRICS Leaders Meeting in Xiamen China. His speech shows the lofty pursuit of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. The notion of a global community with a shared future has also provided strong theoretical support for multilateral cooperation of all countries in the world. The top highlight of this summit is that, after the communication between all SRCIC Executive Board members, the Xi'an Consensus for Contributing to Building a Global Community of a Shared Future will be released tomorrow This consensus fully accords with the vision of UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and reflects the time call for building a global community of a shard future. This is our group declaration by more than 80 chambers of commerce for joint actions to face the challenges and to seek for mutual benefits.

 

We shall do the following:

 

One, firmly build a global community of a shared future, jointly make a harmonious and stable political environment, business environment, social environment, and ecological environment, and create a new situation of openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefits for a globalized economic system.

 

Two, actively promote the connection of policies, rules, and standards of different countries, facilitate the construction of an open, fair and transparent international trade and investment regulation system, and advance the smooth flows of production factors, effective resource allocation, and high integration of markets.

 

Three, vigorously promote the development of green investment, green trade, and green financing system, set up an ecological cooperation mode of "government orientation, enterprise operation, and chambers of commerce promotion", carry out new ways of green, low-carbon, recycling, and sustainable life and production, and promote the harmony between man and nature.

 

Four, strengthen the cooperation between industries, and integration between industry and financing, focus on the key channels of cross-border trade development, give priority to support SRCIC member projects, boost the connection of sea-land-air-internet for all chambers of commerce.

 

Five, continue to deepen the cultural exchange and cooperation and to sponsor 30 Arabian students to study in Xi'an, cultivating talents and accumulating intelligence for the Silk Road construction. The integration of different cultures promotes a common progress of different civilizations.

 

Six, set up pragmatic, effective, and sharing mechanism and platforms, make efforts for SRCIC members to enjoy value-added service and to share the benefits of the development.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

 

Consensus navigates actions, cooperation unites forces, and solidarity creates future. HongKong Declaration, Xi'an Declaration and Xi'an Consensus have made it clear that the SRCIC has entered into a new development stage.

 

We will seize the historical opportunity of the Belt and Road construction and fully use the internalized cooperation platform of the SRCIC to create a community of shared interests and shared responsibilities for the recovery and prosperity of the global economy. And we will also become a community of shared actions for the perfection of world economic governing system to contribute to a global community with a shared future.

 

Thank you!