Local leaders say State support crucial for the concept's success

When President Xi Jinping proposed the "Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century" during a state visit to Indonesia last year, most officials in Qinzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, had no idea what Xi's proposal would mean for the port city, which was the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road thousands of years ago.

One thing they did recognize was that Xi's proposal would bring new opportunities for Qinzhou to secure greater support from the central government.