“Xinhua Silk Road” supports the Belt and Road initiative

A “One Belt, One Road” summit forum sponsored by Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau was held on Monday (Dec. 8) in Hong Kong. Experts, scholars and business enterprises from Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and relevant countries and regions have had an active discussion on the investment and financing opportunities that may generate from the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and Hong Kong’s position in this strategy. Significantly, the participation of private capital in the Belt and Road Initiative under market based rules was put forward in the discussion. Meanwhile, the “Xinhua Silk Road” information products, which are customized for the Belt and Road Initiative by Xinhua News Agency, become the focus of the forum. Most of the distinguished guests expect the products to provide reference and guidance for business activities in countries along the Belt and Road.

Ju Mengjun, President of Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau and Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong SAR Branch, said that Cai Mingzhao, President of Xinhua News Agency has pointed out at the International Symposium on Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century that as China's largest national news service, Xinhua News Agency will increase its news reports on the Belt and Road initiative based on the central government's overall arrangement, and provide intellectual support through "Xinhua Silk Road" information products.

The products have been spoken highly of by overseas clients and gained wide attention from government organs, think tanks, research institutes and entrepreneurs of countries along the Belt and Road since their launch on July 16, 2015. Ju said that Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau will increase news reports on the Belt and Road issues in the region according to the requirements of the central government and the headquarter, and build a communication platform by providing “Xinhua Silk Road” information products, to contribute to Chinese enterprises’ outbound investment and foreign enterprises’ inbound investment.

Ju indicated that as an important medium, Xinhua News Agency has built an information platform in internet era by launching “Xinhua Silk Road” information products to collect information from more than 50 countries and regions in Asia-Pacific. It will give Hong Kong a full play of its role as a super liaison, and will be beneficial to the government, enterprises and individuals.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, and Co-chair of the Maritime Silk Road Society, said in her speech that the Belt and Road initiative is a centennial strategy for China’s development and opening, which is of great significance to the Mainland and Hong Kong, as well as countries along the Belt and Road. Hong Kong’s role in the Belt and Road initiative is key to the territory’s development in the next two or three decades.

Hong Kong should actively participate in the investment in the Mainland and countries along the Belt and Road and deepen trade cooperation with such areas by taking advantage of its finance, talents and service industry. The Belt and Road initiative offers a precious opportunity for youngsters in Hong Kong to know better history of the country and its direction of future development.

It will not only beneficial to the further transformation of Hong Kong’s economy, but also to investors in Hong Kong, particularly the cultivation of entrepreneurship and innovation spirit among the young people. She hopes Hong Kong to build an investment and financing platform for the Belt and Road Initiative and consolidate Hong Kong’s status as a financial center, and at the same time to innovate in areas like internet financing, ecommerce, information technology, and “Internet Plus”, with the goal of activating Hong Kong’s economy and realizing better development.

In the forum, Wu Zhonghui, president of newly-established Xinhua Finance Agency (XFA), indicated that, as an emerging platform for internet financial information, XFA will focus on "Xinhua Silk Road" products, proposing to provide comprehensive and effective information on finance and economy for institutional and individual investors, and fulfill their demands for investment and commerce. He pointed out that "Xinhua Silk Road" information products can provide information guarantee for investment of the government and large international institutions, but also provide opportunities for small & medium enterprises and individual investors to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, which is beneficial to improve the market mechanism of countries along the Belt and Road to boost the development of China and other nations in the Asian-Pacific region.

Chen Fengxiang, visiting professor of City University of Hong Kong, believed that investors still have opportunities to earn money under the “Belt and Road” initiative to gain stable return on investment based on micro view. To this respect, comprehensive and correct information is crucial to the investors, and timely and accurate information service can bring more effective investment.

Dai Jingfeng, president of Belt and Road Development Association of Hong Kong, indicated that he had operation experience of over 12 years in countries of Southeast Asia along the “Belt and Road”, this initiative can bring many opportunities for small & medium enterprises, but also with risks of all aspects, such as politic and market risks; what the this initiative lacks is not capital but the confidence to transform the concept into actions.

He hoped that guarantee and early warming can be provided for the small & medium enterprises through the strength of industrial association and improved information service mechanism; as the economic center of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong has unique advantages in information exchange and establishment of industrial organizations; "Xinhua Silk Road" information products could fully reflect these advantages to provide services for small & medium enterprises.