Building on the Platform of the Silk Road Culture, A Grand Connectivity Across the Globe

Chairman Lu's speech at the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

Distinguished Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon,

Distinguished President Aliyev,

Distinguished President Erdogan,

Distinguished national leaders, representatives of cultural scholars and experts,

Ladies, gentlemen and friends,

I was born and raised in Xi'an, China, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. I recall that last year (2015), on August 17th, two winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Mr. Le Clézio from France, the west, and Mr. Mo Yan, from China, the east, have met for the first time in Xi'an. Standing on the archaeological site of the starting point of the ancient Silk Road in Tang West Market Museum, they asked the same question, this was the largest international trading market on the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, the very backbone of the trading system on the Silk Road, but what was the culture then like? And what cultural heritage did the prosperous Tang Dynasty pass on to us?

They came to the same conclusion: trade was never simply or purely economic; all economic activities are as cultural as they are economic, and all exchange of commodities are intertwined with exchange of culture. That's why culture lies in the soul of trade. Du Fu and Li Bai, the great poets in Tang Dynasty, left countless masterpieces regarded as classics. Some of them are the reflection of the Silk Road culture.

Speaking of the Silk Road culture, President Xi Jinping, who announced the Belt and Road Initiative, concluded the Silk Road Spirit as "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit". For thousands of years, the cultural exchange based on the respect for cultural diversity has been the main theme of social and cultural development. The moving stories and cultural heritage passed on for generations are the vivid depiction of the Silk Road Spirit. The renaissance and rejuvenation of the Silk Road culture are the inheritance and promotion of the Silk Road Spirit. When the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce was established in 2015, we took the Silk Road Spirit as our motto, because the new Silk Road is the road to trading prosperity, to peaceful development and to cultural renaissance.

The establishment of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce is the response to the Belt and Road Initiative. It aims to facilitate the construction of the new Silk Road and the cultural exchange and cultural integration among the Silk Road nations. It's a non-governmental organization that aims to promote communication and cooperation on projects among chambers of commerce. As the first international association of chambers of commerce named after the Silk Road, the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce is the platform for international trade and cultural cooperation that enjoys the most influence in the construction of the new Silk Road.

Ladies, gentlemen and friends!

The renaissance of the Silk Road culture and the joint construction of the new Silk Road mean more than drawing a line from the starting point to the finishing point. It's about multi-dimensional interlinking and multi-diversified connection that lead to the general network of culture of full range at all levels. It’s a new development mechanism that features joint efforts and sharing of benefits by all and aims for win-win, multi-win and all-win that benefits all. In order to integrate the resources and factors in all sectors like culture and commerce, and in order to create a grand yet orderly mechanism and system for cultural communication on the new Silk Road, the SRCIC will play an active role and wield its power in the private sector, taking culture as the leading thread of the outline, to push forward the renaissance of the Silk Road culture and the realization of people's welfare.

1.  Culture as a key to global civilization, to promote the exchange of culture and communication between peoples

Culture becomes enriched because of exchange, while civilization becomes enriched because of mutual learning. The Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce is an alliance of chambers of commerce. But it set up a Culture Committee to better reflect the Silk Road Culture in its soul and to promote trade with culture while investing in culture through trade. Meanwhile, the Silk Road Cultural Festival will be held annually, in which different forms of arts with national characteristics from the Silk Road countries, like literature, music, dances, painting, crafts and videos will be displayed and performed. We aim to build platforms for cultural integration and interaction, a platform for communication and mutual learning among civilizations, so that we can contribute to the cooperative development through the inclusiveness and mutual trust offered by culture. The enchantment of the ancient Silk Road comes from its being more than a road of trading, but a road of cultural exchange as well. As we construct the new Silk Road, we should improve the communication among peoples through cultural exchange. And the communication among peoples will facilitate clear channels of communication on policy making, infrastructure, trade and investment, financing and banking, which will lead to mutual trust, investment and economic cooperation. As a result, cultural exchange will be closely intertwined with the development of the Silk Road countries and help realize the cooperative outlook of win-win and mutual benefiting.

2.   To build the on-line platform for efficient mutual learning among cultures

We should take advantage of the latest technological advancement, like the big data, to improve mutual learning among cultures and jointly build the new Silk Road. The eSilkRoad, co-founded by the 36 member states of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce, aims to build a more efficient and more convenient platform for connectivity. It is expected to create a new model for cultural exchange, where the cultural communication can be conducted at a high speed, and the mutual learning can penetrate cultural barriers, national borders and time difference, where everyone can be the starting point of the Silk Road and always connected online with the Silk Road. On May 22, 2015, the founding member of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce, Da Tang Xi Shi Group, and UNESCO co-hosted the first Silk Road International Network Conference and passed the Xi’an Declaration. The Declaration was the consensus of representatives from 16 countries to propel the development of the eSilkRoad and promote the cultural mutual learning. The eSilkRoad consists of business social network and consulting platform, International Commerce Platform, Cross-border Investment and Financial Platform, and Culture Exchange Platform which focuses on the Silk Road culture. In September, 2015, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova attended the display of the eSilkRoad, and gave her support and high approval to the cooperative construction of the eSilkRoad.

3.   Supported by the Silk Road Think Tank Association, to strive for the renaissance and rejuvenation of the Silk Road Culture

The renaissance and rejuvenation of the Silk Road culture need the top-down leading. The SRCIC has established the Silk Road Think Tank Association by bringing together chairs of its member chambers, business leaders, experts and scholars, and think tanks from its member states. It offers macro information and consultancy on policies, trade, society and culture to facilitate the renaissance and rejuvenation of the Silk Road culture, the cultural industry and the derivative sectors. Analysis on macro-environment can also be provided as guidance and reference for decision making concerning investment and commercial operations and tourism. The Think Tank also provides intelligence support to the cultural soft power and social economical sustainable development in the Silk Road countries. In conclusion, the Silk Road Think Tank Association tends to draw a map that shows the way to the renaissance of the Silk Road culture and the coordinates where lies the rejuvenation of the Silk Road culture.

In June, 2016, the Atlas of the Belt and Road, edited by Professor WANG Yingjie, President of the Silk Road Think Tank Association, will be published. It is the first geographic book on the Belt and Road, and another achievement and highlight in the research of the Silk Road culture.

Ladies, gentlemen and friends!

"He who walks alone walks fast; he who walks with companions walks far." The renaissance of the Silk Road culture and the joint construction of the new Silk Road is a trans-century project. It is a project with pains for the moment and gains for millennia. We need to be pragmatic and cooperative.

On Sept. 6, 2016, the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce is to host the first summit in Xi'an, the home town of President Xi Jinping, where the ancient Silk Road starts. The topic of the summit is "Dreams on the Silk Road -- Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce 2016 Xi'an Summit". In the great hall of the archaeological site of the starting point for the ancient Silk Road in the Da Tang Xi Shi Museum, the once biggest trade centre on earth more than a thousand years ago, the business and governmental leaders and cultural scholars from across the globe will discuss the future and sustainability of the trade and culture. It will be a historical event that marks the collision of two eras. And it is an event of practical and ground breaking meaning that promotes the international cultural communication and the construction of the new Silk Road.

I sincerely invite you all to attend the Summit, to share the memories of the prosperity seen on the ancient Silk Road, and to build a beautiful future of cultural communication and trade development for the new Silk Road.

Thank you!