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SRCIC Forum of Transforming Xi'an into a Cosmopolitan City was successfully held in Xi'an
30 Jun 2018

 

On 29 June 2018, Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce Forum of Transforming Xi'an into a Cosmopolitan City, co-organized by Xi'an Municipal People's Government and Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC), was held at the Xi'an Paradise Resort. Over 300 distinguished guests from 32 countries, including ambassadors to China from Argentina, Lebanon, Belarus, Maldives, and Nepal, as well as representatives from governments, from international business associations and from enterprises were present at the forum.

 

The forum opened with speeches from Mr. Scott Fergusonthe, CEO of World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), H.E. Andrii Kulchynskyi, and Mayor of Truskavets, Ukraine. The opening ceremony was chaired by SRCIC Chairman Lu Jianzhong.

 

At the opening ceremony, CEO Ferguson touted SRCIC as an ideal partner for WTCA, noting that the former has helped facilitate WTCA's immersion in China. Mayor Kulchynski explained how the influx of Chinese tourists helped sustain industry in his own city. He recounted how Truskavets began collaboration with China last year by joining the Silk Road Cities Alliance, and praised their  cooperative relationship.

 

Following the opening remarks, the forum was divided into two sessions, with each discussing different aspects of the Belt and Road Initiative.

 

The first session, titled Speeding up Construction of the Belt and Road Pivot Cities, outlined ways in which the Belt and Road construction has manifested in countries outside of China. The distinguished panelists included H.E. Diego Ramiro Guelar, Argentinian Ambassador to China, H.E. Rudy Kiryl, Belarusian Ambassador to China, H.E. Milia Jabbour, Lebanese Ambassador to China, H.E. Mohamed Faisal, Maldives Ambassador to China, and H.E. Leela Mani Paudyal, Nepalese Ambassador to China.

 

 

Each of the ambassadors described and compared their own respective country's economy in relation to that of China. They praised the efforts made by China in the construction of the Belt and Road projects in their own countries.

 

The second session, titled New Cooperation Models under the Belt and Road Framework, covered more specific and novel plans under the Belt and Road Initiative. The panelists included Mr. Qiang Xiao'an, Deputy Mayor of Xi'an Municipal People's Government, Mr. Scott Wang, Vice President of Asia Pacific of WTCA, Mr. Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, Chairman of Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Wu Zhongqing, Vice Chairman of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Yuriy Kotyk, Board Chairman of the Cultural-Researching Center of Ukraine and China “Lanhua”.

 

 

The common theme of the second session was to comprehend how to make the equitable advances in development. Qiang Xiao'an stated that Xi'an's primary purpose in implementing various services, such as eCommerce platform, has been to“look forward to a mutual benefit”.

 

The signing ceremony was the highlight of the forum. Witnessed by WTCA CEO Scott Ferguson, CACCI President Jemal Inaishvili, and ambassadors to China, seven pragmatic agreements were signed between SRCIC, associations and/or universities as shown below:

  • SRCIC, China Association of Chinese Medicine, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Shaanxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, and Tang West Market Group;
  • SRCIC and WTCA;
  • SRCIC, Shaanxi Normal University, and Tang West Market Group;
  • SRCIC, Northwest Polytechnical University, and Chang'an University;
  • SRCIC, and Working Committee of the Belt and Road of CASME;
  • SRCIC and Shaanxi SME Service Center;
  • SRCIC and China International Steel Capacity Cooperation Alliance.

 

Vice Mayor of Xi'an, Qiang Xiao'an, chaired the signing ceremony. The agreements signed assured that the work would be accepted and recognized for the development in both Xi'an and the larger of the Belt and Road project(s).

 

1,400 years ago, Chang'an - the ancient name of Xi'an - was the world's first cosmopolitan city, attracting merchants to participate in commerce there. 1,400 years later, the 2nd World Xi'an Entrepreneurs Convention held in Xi'an, not only was where prosperity reignited, but where the brand competitiveness of Xi'an's enterprises was enhanced, as well as its international influence. 

 

Background Information:

The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) was founded in 1968 following the establishment of the first World Trade Center in New Orleans and followed, later, in 1973 by the well-known World Trade Center, in New York City. WTCA is a not-for-profit, non-political association dedicated to the establishment and effective operation of the World Trade Centers (WTCs) as instruments for international trade expansion. As of 2007, the WTCA has had more than 287 licensed world trade affiliates in 88 countries, as well as more than 750,000 companies and individuals (For example, the World Trade Center of Grenoble in France). The WTCA is an unofficial, umbrella trade association that unites corporations and government agencies in international trade.