Silk Road initiatives to boost China-EU ties

SHANGHAI - The Silk Road initiatives put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping will help strengthen China-EU ties, observers have said, in the year marking the 40th anniversary of China-EU relations being established.

It would be strategic blindness for the European Union, China's first trading partner, to overlook the opportunities offered by Xi's proposal, said David Gosset of Shanghai's China Europe International Business School.

Four decades on from China and the EU formally establishing ties, 2015 can be a new departure for relations between the two edges of Eurasia, he said in a signed online article entitled "China's Grand Strategy: The New Silk Road".

According to Gosset, the initiatives will "profoundly mark China's coming decade and reshape Eurasia".

The "Belt and Road" refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives to better cooperate with countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The strategy covers countries and regions with a total population of4.4 billion and a total economic volume of 21 trillion U.S. dollars, 63 percent and 29 percent respectively of the world's total.

China has plans for major projects to improve connectivity along the routes. During the Beijing APEC summit, Xi announced a 40-billion-US-dollar Silk Road fund.

More highways, railways and air routes will be opened and Chinese regions will integrate resources, policies and markets to connect with the outside world.