The expedition of Chinese explorer Zhang Qian more than 2,000 years ago is considered to be the foundation of the ancient Silk Road. Today, his legendary exploration of the ancient Silk Road is renowned worldwide. Venturing across the Eurasian continent with camel caravans laden with silk, spices, tea, and other Chinese goods, he forged vital trade routes of the Silk Road. Xinjiang has had a central role in that trade.   Fast forward thousands of years, and Xinjiang finds itself at…

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt in September 2013 in Kazakhstan, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the following month in Indonesia, together known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In a decade, the BRI has become a reality, reviving the ancient Silk Roads.   The BRI, based on history and proposed by China, concentrates on the future and benefits the world as a whole. According to Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s…

XI’AN, May 16 (Xinhua) — The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been one of the most talked-about buzzwords in international cooperation over the past few years. While many people know that it was proposed by China, few may realize that the concept was first put forward in Central Asia. In September 2013, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan, he delivered a speech of far-reaching significance at Nazarbayev University. In his address, Xi took his audience back to…