People's Daily Online launches int'l media coverage of the 'New Silk Road'

The opening ceremony of international media coverage of the "New Silk Road" by People's Daily Online was held in Beijing, Xi'an, and Quanzhou at the same time today. Two reporting teams consisting of more than 60 journalists, celebrities, opinion leaders will work along the Silk Road economic belt starting from Xi'an, and the Maritime Silk Road from Quanzhou respectively for about two months.

Yang Zhenwu, president of People's Daily announced the departure of the reporting teams. Editor-in-chief of People's Daily Li Baoshan and deputy editor-in-chief Ma Li presented the flags to the reporting teams. Liao Hong, president and chief-in-editor of People's Daily Online addressed the event. Party chiefs of Xi'an and Quanzhou also made speeches. 13 ambassadors and representatives of other countries along the Silk Road attended the ceremony and gave their best wishes to the reporting team.

In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed to construct "the Silk Road economic belt" and the 21st century "Maritime Silk Road" when he visited ASEAN and Central Asia. President Xi's proposal of "one belt and one road" has brought new connotation for the old Silk Road, and new vibrancy for the cooperation among pan-Asia, Asia and Europe.

People's Daily Online planned the international media coverage of the "New Silk Road" in response to this strategic conception, aiming at promoting the economic cooperation, culture exchanges, friendly relationships between China and other Silk Road countries.

Liao Hong used three key words to sum up the expectations for the international media coverage of the "New Silk Road" at the opening ceremony.

The first key word is "connection". The conception of reviewing and revitalizing the "Silk Road" is not only the need of the economic development of globalization, but also is an important part of the "Chinese Dream". This is a road that connects the inside with the outside; a road that connects China's own development strategy with the strategy of Asia-Europe, connects the Chinese Dream with the dreams of Asia, Europe, and even the world. This road will also display the strength and glamour of China. Another implication of the key word "connection" is that People's Daily Online bridges the communication among the government, netizens, and people across a broad spectrum.

The second key word is "inheritance". Compared with the old Silk Road, the "New Silk Road" extends both in space and time. Ways of transportation are changing and developing, while the persistence, warmth, and amity of wayfarers will be inherited from generation to generation. The "Silk Road Spirit", with its cooperative, inclusive, peaceful, and sharable features, needs to be passed down in the era of network.

The third key word is "record". Xi'an is now a big city with blooming scientific research, education and industries; and Quanzhou, the ancient port described as the "City of Light" by Marco Polo, is now an experimental area of the National Comprehensive Financial Reform. Along the "one belt and one road," countless stories happen every day and the world is changing at every moment.

Wei Minzhou, the Secretary of Xi'an Municipal Party Committee said, during the past 2,100 years, countries along the Silk Road have kept friendly relationships, helped each other, and made progress together. Today, with the fast development of society, we are pleased to see that the spirit of the Silk Road has been inherited. Countries along the Silk Road are still cooperating and helping with each other.

Huang Shaoping, the Secretary of Quanzhou Municipal Party Committee said the proposal of "one belt and one road" brought historic opportunities of development for coastal provinces like Fujian. As a model city, Quanzhou has more potentials to cooperate with other Silk Road countries in economy, culture and to integrate with the "one belt and one road" strategy.

The "New Silk Road" covers Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China and 13 other countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Thailand, Burma, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and Turkey. Reports will be written in Chinese, English, Russian, Kazakh and other languages and be presented in the forms of text, pictures, audios, and videos through PC, Internet, microblog, wechat and apps.

In addition to journalists and foreign experts from People's Daily Online, some netizens, literati, media workers like Yu Dan, Wuyue Sanren, Yang Jinglin, Zheng Yuanjie, Meng Man, Xu Danei were also invited to join in the coverage. They will record stories they see and hear, and record a changing and developing China, as well as a diversified world.