During his visit to Central Asia and Southeast Asia last year， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiatives of building a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Fuzhou， capital of southeast Chinas Fujian Province， is aiming to become a hub along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， which will connect Taiwan and ASEAN countries with the vast Chinese mainland.

Yang Yimin， Mayor of Fuzhou， describes what the city is doing to realize the goal in an interview with Beijing Review reporter Hou Weili. Excerpts follow：

Beijing Review： what are Fuzhous legacies from the ancient Maritime Silk Road？

yang yimin： As one of the origins of the ancient Maritime Silk Road， Fuzhou traces its connection with the road to the Han Dynasty （206B. C.-A.D.220）， when the city， then called Dongye， began trading with Southeast Asian countries. The trade expanded to Arab countries during the Tang Dynasty （618-907） when the Gantang Port was established. During the Ming Dynasty（1368-1644）， Zheng He （1371-1433） commanded seven expeditions from the Taiping Port in Fuzhou to Southeast and South Asia， the Middle East and East Africa. Fuzhou was one of the most prosperous cities in the Asia-Pacific region during the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911） after it became a treaty port. A total of 17 countries established consulates in Fuzhou at that time.

This history has not only left Fuzhou with precious historical and cultural relics but also made its people open and inclusive. One of the first cities to open to the world， Fuzhou and the international community are interdependent in economy. It now has trade ties with 217 countries and regions， and boasts over 400 foreign-invested businesses and 2，000 Taiwanese-invested ones.

Fuzhou aims to become a maritime hub along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. How will this be realized？

yang： We have an action plan. Future cooperation and exchanges will focus on ASEAN and gradually cover Europe， North America， Africa and Oceania. To promote trade cooperation， traffic connectivity and people-to-people exchanges with these countries and areas， we are working in three ways.

First， Fuzhou will be a transportation hub. There are well-established ports， airports and well-connected railways in the city. The construction of the Fuzhou Changle International Airport is in its second phase. We will continue to support the citys air transportation growth by applying for the fifth freedom traffic right （to allow one countrys airlines to land in a second country， pick up passengers from there and then fly to a third） and permitting visa-free transit for 72 hours. To establish Fuzhou as a shipping center connecting ASEAN countries， Taiwan and Chinas hinterland， we will support the development of the Luoyuanwan and Jiangyin ports. By developing sea-railway combined transportation， the vast interior can be connected with the ports. We will also boost the current combined transportation network and accelerate the construction of highspeed passenger railway corridors linking Fuzhou with Beijing and Xiamen respectively.endprint

Second， Fuzhou will be a trade cooperation center. Covering a vast area， the Jiangyin Port has great potential in developing manufacturing and export-oriented industries. We will encourage the existing foreign-invested businesses to undertake more projects and extend the industrial chain. Moreover， Fuzhou is applying to become a free trade zone （FTZ）. When it is approved， there will be more investment-friendly policies and a big- ger platform for business growth.

Third， the city aims to be a hub for people-to-people exchanges. Based on its historical connection with the Maritime Silk Road and long-term trade ties with foreign countries， Fuzhou will make greater efforts to attract talents from all walks of life and encourage exchanges with the foreign countries along the road. Fuzhou is home to many Taiwanese and more than 3 million Chinese who now live across the world—in Southeast Asia， the United States and South America. As the provincial capital nearest to Taiwan， it is favorable for people-to-people exchanges with Taiwan. The Taiwanese and overseas Chinese from Fuzhou will serve as a bridge for closer exchanges with foreign cities along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

How can the overseas Chinese from Fuzhou help？

yang： They helped promote the citys economy and attract foreign investment at the beginning of the countrys reform and opening up. They will be equally constructive for Fuzhous future development. The entrepreneurs among them are potential investors. They will also help businesses in Fuzhou connect with the businesses where they live， bringing more projects and investments to Fuzhou.

We will strengthen bonds with the firstgeneration overseas Chinese as well as the younger generation， who are not as attached to their hometown as the former. To promote their sense of identity， Fuzhou is planning an Overseas Chinese Museum where memories of the hometown are stored and can be refreshed. More frequent contacts foster closer relations. In the future， we will launch exchange activities like inviting young overseas Chinese to summer camps in Fuzhou and sending Fuzhou teachers abroad where overseas Chinese live to teach them Chinese.

How will the FTZ help to make Fuzhou a maritime hub？ How will it be established？

yang： The application will be approved by the State Council soon. The FTZ will be a vital driving force. Our model is unique： The zone will comprise four industrial parks in Pingtan County， Xiamen， Fuzhou and Quanzhou. Fuzhou will explore ways for all-round opening up and gather replicable experiences on FTZ.endprint

The industrial park in Fuzhou will have an area of 51.36 square km. It will consist of the Fuzhou Bonded Area， Jiangyin Bonded Port Area， Jiangyin Export Manufacturing Area， Mawei Economic Development Zone， Fuzhou Straits Financial Pilot Zone and Central Business District. The city is studying the China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone and foreign FTZ models to borrow successful experiences. It is also innovating new models suited to the reality in Fuzhou.

what are the bottlenecks？ How are you tackling them？

yang： There are bottlenecks， including funds shortage， inefficient trans-regional cooperation and a weak supporting industry. Take transportation infrastructure， for example. Remote areas are eager for infrastructure improvement as their economies wont develop without transportation. But financially capable areas may not be interested in investing as they dont see short-term lucrative prospects in the projects. In the future， transregional cooperation will be strengthened.

Without financial support， our goal will never be realized. During the Cross-Straits Fair for Economy and Trade held in Fuzhou from May 18 to 22， the Fuzhou Municipal Government， China Development Bank and China-Africa Development Fund jointly launched the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Development Fund to raise 10 billion yuan （$1.62 billion） for economic cooperation along the road. The first 2 billion yuan （$324 million） has already been in place. When the Fuzhou Straits Financial Pilot Zone is established， there will be more investment-friendly policies and better infrastructure for financing businesses.endprint