The Plan for Building Fujian into the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road

The Plan for Building Fujian into the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road

Issued by Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, and Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce

In March 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, with the authorization of the State Council, issued the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road （hereinafter referred to as the Vision and Actions）. The Vision and Actions makes it clear that the Central Government supports Fujian in becoming the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. This Plan is therefore formulated and published to act on the Belt and Road Initiative and speed up the building of such a core area.

I General guidelines

1. Significance

Located on the southeast coast of the Chinese mainland, Fujian is an important starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road （MSR). It is the mainland's gateway to Taiwan, and a vital hub on the north and south-bound shipping lines in the West Pacific. It is also a major ancestral home to overseas Chinese as well as compatriots in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Thanks to its splendid MSR history, unique geological location, a dynamic private sector, and solid foundation for ocean economy, Fujian occupies an important position and plays a big part in the building of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. To carry out the Vision and Actions and speed up the building of such Core Area will help play out Fujian's competitive advantage, improve the level of its open economy, and drive forward development in a leapfrogging and sustainable way. It will expand Fujian-Taiwan cooperation, enhance cross-Straits fraternity and common interests, and promote peaceful development across the Straits. It will also deepen regional cooperation between China and ASEAN countries as well as other countries and regions along the MSR, create strategic propellers for maritime cooperation to stimulate development in the hinterland areas, and contribute to common prosperity.

2. Fundamental principles

To serve the national overall plan and promote development. Based on the real conditions of Fujian and the purpose of building the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, we will implement faithfully the Belt and Road Initiative and the Vision and Actions to speed up economic and social development in Fujian, placing equal importance on both attracting foreign capital and encouraging outbound investments.

To give play to Fujian's advantages and be an active player. We will tap further into such advantages in Fujian as MSR's profound cultural heritage, a large overseas community, a special bond with Taiwan, well-developed seaports and airports, a strong private sector, sound eco-environment, and so on, and take initiative to expand exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world, while making bold moves to try out new approaches and measures to bring up new advantages for opening-up and cooperation.

To seek win-win cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. We will carry forward the Silk Road Spirit -peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, vigorously advance practical cooperation with countries and regions along the MSR, and expand cooperation both in depth and in breadth to achieve common prosperity and development.

To set priorities and carry them out in a steady manner. We will deepen cooperation with Southeast Asian countries and regions along the MSR, highlighting the areas to promote policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bond. We shall set our mind on the priority sectors and key projects, do well in risk prevention and control, and pool our strength to make breakthroughs for an early harvest.

To make better use of resources at home and abroad, and enhance collaboration with neighboring provinces. We will follow market operation, play the government's guiding role, and give full display to the primary role of enterprises. We will encourage overseas Chinese as well as compatriots in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau to do their part, and enhance collaboration and coordination with neighboring provinces, so as to boost all parties' active participation and foster a driving force for the building of the Core Area.

3. Functions and position

We will give full play to Fujian's competitive advantages, adopt a more proactive strategy for opening-up, and continue to strengthen Fujian's position as the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, taking the lead in connectivity realization, economic cooperation, institutional innovation and people-to-people exchange, and serving as a model, a magnet and a stimulant to others as well.

We will build Fujian into an important hub for connectivity along the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should strengthen the role of seaports and airports as gateways, improve railway and trunk highway networks, and enhance cooperation with countries and regions along the MSR in port construction, customs clearance, and IT application in logistics service, so as to build a safe, efficient, and convenient sea-land-air transport network, with the port cities of Fujian as strategic propellers for maritime cooperation, which connects to countries and regions along the MSR.

We will build Fujian into a major platform for economic cooperation in the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should make use of Fujian's industrial complementarity with countries and regions along the MSR, rely on the China （Fujian） Pilot Free Trade Zone （hereinafter referred to as Fujian Pilot FTZ） and other development parks as key players, and strive to make breakthroughs in industrial, trade and investment cooperation with these countries and regions, so as to reap an early harvest.

We will build Fujian into a pilot place for institutional innovation in the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. While accelerating the construction of Fujian Pilot FTZ, we should try out reform measures in promoting and improving investment and trade facilitation, financial innovation, supervision and regulatory environment. We should establish and improve the mechanisms for regular inter-governmental exchanges, for investment and trade promotion and protection, for financing protection, and for people-to-people exchange.

We will build Fujian into an important link for cultural and people-to-people exchange in the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. We should strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchange with countries and regions along the MSR, with overseas Chinese and compatriots in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as the linkage, the common cultural heritage such as Mazu Culture, South Fujian Culture, and Hakka Culture as the basis, non-governmental exchange as the main form, and governmental communication as the support.

4. Cooperation roadmap

Based on our historical contacts and current situation of economic cooperation and cultural exchange with countries and regions along the MSR, our cooperation roadmap follows these courses: The west one starting from the seaports of Fujian southward to the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, the Indian Ocean and to Europe; the south one starting from the seaports of Fujian southward to the South China Sea, Indonesia and to the south Pacific Ocean; and the north one starting from the seaports of Fujian northward to ROK, Japan, far east of Russia and to North America, given the cooperation foundation between Fujian and its traditional partners in Northeast Asia.

5. General layout

We should make full use of advantages of geographic position, people-to-people bonds, history and culture, opening up initiatives, and industrial development in different parts of Fujian. Coastal port cities will play a more important role in boosting development, while inland cities will make more efforts to receive relocated industries and expand markets. We shall reasonably identify priority sectors and areas for cooperation, so as to bring up new advantage in joining and leading international cooperation.

We support Quanzhou in becoming the front runner in building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. By leveraging its strengths of deep connection with overseas Chinese, dynamic private sector, and profound Islamic culture, Quanzhou will take the initiative in attracting overseas Chinese to take part in the drive to build the Core Area, encouraging private businesses to go global, promoting international exchanges of MSR cultures, making international financial innovations, and transforming manufacturing sector to be more environmentally-friendly. So doing, we aim to bring Quanzhou's opening up to and cooperation with countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and North Africa to a new high.

We support port cities and areas such as Fuzhou, Xiamen and Pingtan in becoming strategic propellers for maritime cooperation. By taking advantages of industrial foundation, port resources and opening up policies of Fuzhou and Xiamen, and by relying on the building of Fuzhou New Area and Xiamen Southeast International Shipping Center, we will deepen maritime cooperation with ASEAN countries, and create a number of internationally influential cooperation platforms for countries and regions along the MSR. In the meantime, we should devote efforts to developing hubs of connectivity in the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, centers of business and trade cooperation, and key areas of cultural and people-to-people exchanges. By making use of preferential policies on pioneering new approaches to cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation applied to Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone and Xiamen, and Zhangzhou's industrial link with Taiwan, we will deepen corss-Straits cooperation and expand channels and fields of cooperation with countries and regions along the MSR, so as to open a new chapter of cross-Straits cooperation in building the Core Area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. By taking the advantage of deep-water ports and tapping Mazu and Chen Jinggu cultures of Putian and Ningde, we will have more business and trade cooperation and exchanges on folk belief with countries and regions along the MSR, thus achieving joint development of business and people-to-people relationships.

We support Sanming, Nanping and Longyan in becoming pillars that sustain hinterland development of the MSR. By tapping ecological and tourist resources, and Zhuxi and Hakka cultures, the three cities shall actively participate in the drive to build the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, and expand their exchanges and cooperation with countries and regions along the MSR. Meanwhile, by carrying forward the distinctive cultures exemplified by the ancient tea route, we should connect these cities with the Silk Road Economic Belt, build internationally renowned destinations for eco-tourism, demonstration zones of green development, and exchange bases of tea culture and Hakka culture, and thus raise the level of international cooperation.