On the morning of September 19th, a 14-member delegation of New Stories of the Silk Road visited the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China (RDCY) and held a seminar with the researcher of the RDCY. The delegation is composed of think tank scholars and media experts from India, Pakistan and Myanmar. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on topics such as China and South Asian cooperation under the framework of the “Belt and Road”(B&R).

Before the seminar, Hu Haibin, Assistant to the Dean of the RDCY and chief editor of Information Center, extended warm welcome to the delegation on behalf of the institute. She briefly introduced the main research areas and international influence of the RDCY, as well as the important contributions and major research results of RDCY in the B&R study over the past few years.

Then three representatives from India, Pakistan and Myanmar respectively delivered keynote speeches. Kulkarni Sudheendra, Former Chairman of the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, reviewed the long history of Sino-Indian exchanges firstly. He stated that the concept of B&R is a product of Asian wisdom. He said that China, India and Pakistan should joint hands under the B&R to bring peace and prosperity to South Asia.

Manzar Naqvi, Executive Director of the Financial Daily of Karachi-Lahore, spoke highly of China-Pakistan relations and envisioned the future of establishing sincere cooperative relations between China, Pakistan and India.

Aye Kyu, Secretary of Central Information Committee of the Myanmar National League for Democracy, noted that B&R indicates that China attaches importance to cooperation among countries. China and Myanmar will continue to deepen mutual trust and cooperation under the B&R.

Subsequently, four experts from the RDCY delivered keynote speeches. Zhou Rong, Senior Fellow of RDCY affirmed the opinion of the Kulkarni Sudheendra, and noted that the B&R is the most important and positive step in South Asian cooperation. He said that the B&R has closely connected China, India, Pakistan and Myanmar, and has greatly enhanced the friendship among four countries. He emphasized that India and Pakistan's in-depth communication under the B&R initiative will promote new developments of South Asia.

Ding Gang, Senior Editor with People`s Daily and Senior Fellow of RDCY, focused on the "next step" of the B&R. He said that the solution of social problems in developing countries needs to be achieved through the efforts of infrastructure construction and industrialization. While helping the countries along the route carry out infrastructure construction, the B&R should focus on the upgrading of the industrialization, and promoting the development of manufacturing to guarantee the low-income groups’ benefits of these countries.

Wang Peng, Associate Research Fellow of RDCY, noted that China, India and Pakistan, as important members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, should deepen mutual understanding and jointly implement the initiatives in practice. He said that establishing an economic cooperation network between South Asian countries and China is an important attempt. Yang Fanxin, Associate Research Fellow of RDCY, express her opinions from the perspective of B&R and the development of green finance. She suggested promoting green B&R construction and pursuing e new vision of green development.

Yang Yuntao, Senior Editor of Information Center of RDCY, presided over the seminar. Participants also included Kumaraswami Sridhar, Senior Assistant Editor of the Asian Age, Bilgi Sampgod Arun, Associate Editor of the Deccan Herald, Sharma Rajendra, Editor of the Newspaper of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Ayesha Alam, Professor of Hazara University, Ahmad Rashid, Director of China-Pakistan Study Center of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Muhammad Asif Noor, Director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, Humaira Shahid, Director of the Khabrain Group of Newspapers Policy specialist, Thaung Tun, Wai Phyo Han, Member of Central Information Committee of the Myanmar National League for Democracy, Hlaing Myint Han, Editor of D Wave Journal, and Thet Aung, Journalist of D Wave Journal.

The delegation of New Stories of the Silk Road visited China at the invitation of the Information Center of the International Department of the Central Committee of The CPC.