Recognizing the cultural strength, the delegates observed that China has been aggressively engaged to promote its centuries’ old civilization. Its history, museums, architecture and religion have ample attraction for the Muslim countries along the route to connect with modern China. Mosques and Moaz’ans of Xian and Yinchuan city were heralding the tunes of peace and cohesion and showing the resilience of Chinese culture based on tolerance and harmony. The Muslim-to-Muslim contacts were highlighted by the officials of local foreign ministry and informed that 2nd Arab-China Expo will be arranged in September 2015 to promote trade and commerce among the two sides. They further informed that the countries along the Silk Road have the economic size of 21 trillion dollars with 63% of world population. With this financial and population size, the desire of fast and reliable connectivity through road, rail, sea, sky and digital technology would serve to attract more investment in the region, which would ultimately contribute to social progress, integration and empowerment of the regional population to the new heights of prosperity and development.

The delegates assured the hosts that they will employ their skills and contacts to break all types of barriers for early implementation of Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Economic Belt. They also committed to not leave any stone unturned to promote people to people contact. The Chinese authorities stressed the need to fine-tune national development plans with Silk Road development plan to reap long term benefits of the Chinese Initiative.

A consensus emerged among the foreign diplomats was that the Silk Road project will change economic landscape of the countries along the route which would bring peace and development in their respective countries and would be a potential source to accelerate economic activity by reducing poverty-stricken pockets from Asia.

Emerging cooperation between China- Pakistan and China-Myanmar were taken as exemplary cooperation which may be emulated in other countries of the region. Handing over of Gwadar port to China and eagerness to build all weather roads and a railway line between Pakistan and China reflected readiness of Pakistan to further solidify its connectivity with China. Pakistani diplomat accentuated the need to build energy corridor between Pakistan and China so that the two countries may import cheap and fast energy supply to ensure sustainable development particularly in the regions of upper and lower Indus plain of Pakistan and Western China.

The diplomats from Central Asia, Middle East and South East Asia expressed strong support for the Chinese initiative and pledged to work together for early implementation of Silk Road Project so as to revive the long history of cultural and economic interaction between their countries and China. They hope that the new line of communications and connectivity will provide durable solutions to development challenges particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster economic growth, competitiveness, poverty eradication and social inclusion and help to build strong regional economy.

The author is the Counsellor of Pakistan Embassy to China