The 30th CACCI Address
Mr. Lu Jianzhong, Founding Chairman of SRCIC
November 23, 2016, Taipei
Mr. Jemal Inaishvili,
Director-General Wang Zhongyu,
Director-General Lin Bofeng,
Ladies, gentlemen and friends:
It’s my great honour to attend the 30th CACCI. I thank you, Chairman Jemal Inaishvili, for inviting me here.
This is my second time to attend CACCI meeting. Last October I attended the 29th in Hong Kong and delivered a keynote speech. It was in that event SRCIC and CACCI identified each other as group members, which was a milestone in our cooperation development.
CACCI, founded in 1966, has had half a century of brilliant development. It is the 50th anniversary of CACCI this year, giving this conference an extraordinary significance. CACCI has made great efforts in promoting business coordination and cooperation in Asia-Pacific region, greatly improved the services in the fields of regional shipping, banking, insurance and tourism and advanced the sustainable development of countries and regional economies. CACCI is the most influential international business association in Asia-Pacific region and also a first-class regional international organization in the world. On this special occasion, I’d like to express my warm congratulations to CACCI’s 50th anniversary and the great achievements it has made.
Over the last year, SRCIC and CACCI have maintained good cooperation relationship. As the Honorary Chairman of SRCIC and an important member in the Chairmanship, Mr. Jemal Inaishvili has made great contribution to SRCIC construction, management and international cooperation. I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my good colleague, my friend and brother Jemal.
Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce, composed of national commercial associations of the Silk Road countries, is the first non-governmental international business confederation named after the Silk Road. Currently SRCIC has 54 country members and millions of enterprises, forming up a community of shared interests, shared responsibilities and a shared future.
By integration of its rich world resources, SRCIC is constructing its project pool and capital pool to serve and connect business communities of different countries as a platform, providing opportunities for information communication, project matching, cultural exchange and innovative development. SRCIC has become an important strength in the promotion of the Belt and Road construction and in advancing the global trade and investment, cultural exchange and sustainable development.
SRCIC has so far set up five professional committees of trade, finance, culture, transportation and energy, and seven sub-organizations including eSilkRoad, Silk Road International Development Fund, Silk Road Think Tank Association, Silk Road Trade Expo Park, Silk Road International Commodity Exchanges, Silk Road International Association of Museums and GrandBeauty International Cultural Art Trading Center as platforms for pragmatic and win-win cooperation among its members.
With its country members increasing in the coming years, SRCIC will step up with its global partners for the recovery of the world economy and a sustainable growth under the Belt and Road Initiative.
SRCIC has organized and participated a series of international events in a short span of one year. We successfully held Xi'an Silk Road Business Summit and SRCIC Development Cooperation Conference in September this year, with over 500 honored guests from 52 countries bringing up many constructive opinions and suggestions on trade, finance, culture and city cooperation among the member partners, and moving up to a new stage of pragmatic project cooperation.
Ladies, gentlemen and friends,
The Asia-Pacific region has gathered in itself the ancient civilizations and emerging forces, presenting a long history and splendid cultures. Today's Asia-Pacific, accounting for 40% world's population, 57% world economic aggregate, and 48% trade volume, as one of the world's fastest growing economies with greatest cooperation potentials, is an important engine to push forward world economic development.
Wang Yi, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, once pointed out that Asia-Pacific countries are the prime partners and beneficiaries of China’s significant international cooperation initiatives, including the Silk Road Economic Belt, Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. For this reason, SRCIC is ready to promote the construction of the Belt and Road together with CACCI and seize the timing opportunities for the trade investment and cultural exchange in Asia-Pacific area through communication, coordination and effective collaboration between SRCIC and CACCI.
To achieve such a goal, I propose the following:
Innovating development cooperation models
Innovation is the key to the economic growth and is the foundation of business development. The past model of relying on resources, capital, labor and similar inputs to support economic growth and expansion has already been in recession. We should drive for creativity in manufacture, management and business models by innovation and improvement of the status of Asia-Pacific economies in the global supply chain to jointly build and share the world business value based on coordination, openness and inclusiveness. SRCIC’s online platform of eSilkRoad.com upholds the innovative notion of Internet +International Chambers of Commerce + the Silk Road, and has created 4 sub-platforms for investment and financing, commodity trade, business consulting and cultural exchange to promote online and offline business transaction in information, capital, trade and commodities among the member countries. eSilkRoad witnessed the sale of 300,000 bottles of Georgia wine in its first week this year.
Promoting all-round connectivity
In order to achieve regional and infrastructure connectivity, we should give priority to policies, facilities, trade, financing and social support. Among these, social support is of significant importance. This is the reason we put culture in the first place of our construction of the Belt and Road. Exchange adds colour to culture and civilization is enriched by mutual learning. SRCIC will hold a Silk Road International Culture Week in China in the second half of 2017 to present historical evolution and cultural heritage of the ancient and modern Silk Roads and their innovative cultural products through cultural exhibits and art shows. We warmly welcome delegations from different countries and regions to illustrate your splendid culture and exhibit your culture products.
Building up the Belt and Road Economy with the Camel Spirit
In ancient times, messengers and businessmen journeyed the Silk Road in constant streams. They traded commodities, expressed peaceful hopes and communicated for cooperation. The camel with its good endurance, heavy loading and the instinct of path finding and storm prediction became the main transportation force along the ancient Silk Road. We need the camel spirit today, the step-by-step persistence, to deal with the sluggish global economy and to construct the new Silk Road for the benefit of the peoples in the Asia Pacific region.
Xun Zi (a philosopher in the ancient China) said, long journeys start with single steps; great undertaking begins with small actions. The realization of the great dream needs efforts from all of us. SRCIC and CACCI have become a community with shared responsibility and a shared future. I believe, under the close cooperation between SRCIC and CACCI, and with our joint promotion of Asia-Pacific commerce and industries, the spacious Pacific Ocean will serve as a link for friendship, for cooperation and for mutual benefit.
SRCIC will hold Development Cooperation Forum on Joint Construction of International Industrial Parks on December 9-10 in Xi’an China to share successful experiences of constructing industrial parks, to boost cross-country industrial cooperation and to promote the establishment of cross border economic cooperation zones. We warmly welcome you all to attend the event in Xi’an then.
Before I end, I would like to wish this conference a complete success!
My best wishes to everyone.
Thank you.
