BRI’s long-term vision remains unaltered despite volatility

• Urumqui International Land Port gathers momentum as key Silk Road Economic Belt project in BRI

By Indika Sakalasooriya

Although numerous news reports suggest China’s infrastructure-focused Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is at a crossroads, owing to the slowing down of the Chinese economy, the core plan to revive the ancient Silk Road appears to remain very much intact despite encountering a temporary speed bump. 
An example of this is the amount of money and resources pumped in by the Chinese government to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a land of deserts and mountains in northwestern China, which is at the heart of the Silk Road. 

A specific case in point is Urumqui International Land Port, one of the flagship projects in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt core area, part of China’s BRI. It serves as a crucial transportation hub for the region, facilitating the movement of goods and trade between China and the neighbouring countries in Central Asia and to the Europe.

This land port area, of which the construction started in 2015, plays a pivotal role in promoting economic cooperation and connectivity along the Silk Road Economic Belt. With a planned area of 67 square kilometres, the land port area consists of Urumqi China-Europe Railway Express Hub and a comprehensive bonded zone.
The land port area had received investments exceeding 30 billion yuan (approximately US $ 4.5 billion) as of 2022 and had enticed the participation of over 340 businesses. Additionally, a cross-border e-commerce initiative has been put into action in this area.

It has also facilitated over 6,000 China-Europe freight trains along 21 different routes, connecting 26 cities in 19 European and Asian nations and regions. These trains transported a diverse range of products, spanning from everyday essentials and clothing to machinery and construction materials.

 With the ethnic tensions that peaked between 2009 and 2014, seemingly in the past, Xinjiang appears to be reclaiming its position as a crucial location on the ancient Silk Road. It is now poised to play a pivotal role in the reestablishment of this historic trade route under the BRI. Meanwhile, world leaders will gather in Beijing this week for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Corporation, marketing a decade since the inception of the ambitious infrastructure drive. Delegates from more than 130 countries and 30 international organisations are convening for the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), scheduled to take place in Beijing, from October 17 to 18. Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe has departed for China to participate in this significant event.

Journalists from around globe, including this writer, at Urumqui International Land Port