Forum focuses on cooperation along Maritime Silk Road

The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Forum on International Communication and Chinese (Guangdong) Companies Going Global kicks off on Nov. 28 in Guangdong's Zhuhai city and will last through Nov. 30.

The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Forum on International Communication and Chinese (Guangdong) Companies Going Global kicks off in Guangdong's Zhuhai city, on Nov. 28, 2017.

Government officials, company representatives, scholars and guests of 80-odd news outlets— about 1,500 guests from 33 countries— are attending the forum, said Guo Yuanqiang, secretary-general of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee, in the opening ceremony.

Guo Yuanqiang, secretary-general of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee, delivers  welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony.

Themed "Cooperation, Communication and Value," the forum focuses on the international cooperation between Guangdong province and countries along the Belt and Road in fields like cross-border trade, policy, science and technology, finance, infrastructure, and people's livelihood. Officials expect the forum to introduce the business-friendly environment and socioeconomic development of Guangdong to the outside world. They also hope to promote the economic achievements and cultural exchanges that Guangdong companies have made in cooperation with Belt and Road countries.

Foreign participants are sharing extensively about cooperation between Guangdong province and their countries under the Belt and Road Initiative and believe it yields win-win results for both sides.

"If you want to get rich, first build a road," Solomon Rutega, consul general of the Republic of Uganda in Guangzhou, said in quoting a Chinese saying as he talked about how helpful Chinese companies are in building infrastructure and increasing connectivity in his country.

Solomon Rutega, Consul General of the Republic of Uganda in Guangzhou, speaks in the opening ceremony.

In terms of people-to-people bonds, Julie Patterson, co-president of the Committee of the China Arts Festival in the European Union, talked about how cultural exchanges can also help with economic cooperation." In one of the cultural activities in Europe initiated by Shen Haixiong, director-general of the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, the Chinese side brought with them photos of companies, which has helped us learn about cooperation opportunities in Guangdong province," she said.

The 2017 Report on Enterprises from Guangdong Province of China Going Global under the Belt and Road Initiative is also being released at the forum, along with a themed exhibition, to showcase the achievements of major cities of the province in going global.

The event consists of one main forum on international communication and Chinese (Guangdong) companies going global as well as three concurrent sub-forums focusing on cooperation and dialogue between Chinese and foreign press; how the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road reshapes trade patterns; and how to promote a healthy Silk Road through life sciences.

The forum is organized by the Information Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, Zhuhai Municipal People's Government and Chinese Economic Information Service, with Huafa Group, a Zhuhai-based Global 500 company, as the sponsor.