Governor touts Silk Road growth

The Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) in Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi province. [Photo/China Daily]

Lou: The Euro-Asia Economic Forum to be held in Xi'an from Thursday through Saturday has drawn attention from many countries. We have 2,008 registered guests so far, and more than 40 countries will send their ministerial-level officials to attend the forum.

Shaanxi has potential for cooperation in both traditional and emerging industries with the countries and regions along the new Silk Road. We have held an Investment Trade Forum for Cooperation between the East and West China for 17 years and it was upgraded to a Silk Road International Exposition for the past two. Now we are making efforts on holding a successful Euro-Asia Economic Forum, and I am sure there will be more trade agreements and fruitful communications through this platform.

In the past two years, Shaanxi has signed more than 100 cooperative project agreements with Central Asian countries in sectors such as infrastructure construction, geological prospecting, energy and agriculture.

For instance, the State-owned Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co built an oil refinery project in Kyrgyzstan, which is the biggest of its kind in that country. Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Co, a private energy company, invested in and developed 11 oil fields in Kyrgyzstan. China XD Group Corp established a regional service center in Uzbekistan. Next, we will accelerate aviation industrial park projects with Italy and Kyrgyzstan and try to attract more investment from other countries.

What advantages does Shaanxi offer?

Lou: Shaanxi is a province with rich energy resources such as coal and crude oil. We are working to persuade the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to set up its energy club in Shaanxi.

We are also working on cooperative deals for energy exploration and trade, and energy storage bases for the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The last time I went to Australia, they told me they would like companies in Shaanxi to help them on mineral prospecting because of the rich experience and technology that we have.

Shaanxi has been a national leader in exploration technology. I believe it is more beneficial for our companies and our foreign counterparts to participate in exploration rather than mere acquisitions for technology.

Shaanxi is determined to become the country's central transportation and logistics hub in an effort to improve the convenience of international trading. What's next in your plan?

Lou: China's economic structure is geared to meet the demand for improving people's lives, which will bring opportunities to Shaanxi. In the past, China was an export-oriented economy, which was beneficial for the coastal provinces. The new consumption-oriented economy has given Shaanxi a big chance to develop a logistics industry based on its geological advantage.

The government will use this opportunity to construct infrastructure to connect the country.