China has edge in high-tech sectors, global experts say

China must be the major force driving regional cooperation through its Belt and Road Initiative, said Deng Zhixiong, director general of the Bureau of Planning and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

At the 2015 Silk Road Forum in Madrid on Thursday, he said the country has an edge in key high-tech fields, such as high-speed railways and information technologies.

State-owned enterprises have a comparative advantage in constructing infrastructure because they can provide advanced industrial technologies for countries along the initiative's proposed routes, he explained.

Slawomir Majman, president of the board of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, said Chinese investments in Poland have helped create jobs and spur growth in the local economy.

"China is helping economies along the Silk Road, and we aspire to play a key role in the initiative, so that China will trade not just with Poland but also with other Central and Eastern European countries," Majman said.

Deng said the initiative will involve about 4.4 billion people around the world. Countries and regions along the planned routes are in the primary or intermediate stage of industrialization and have strong demand for infrastructure construction and industrial upgrading, Deng said.

Victor Shadurski, dean of the faculty of international relations at Belarusian State University, said the Great Stone Industrial Park is a good example of how China has helped partner countries accelerate their economic growth.

The park, jointly founded by the Chinese and Belarusian governments, serves as a logistics center for Chinese companies to trade with and invest in Belarus. Many Chinese companies currently base their subsidiaries in the park to tap into the Belarus market.

"China has great expertise in building infrastructure. This project will act as a catalyst for further growth in our economy, as well as in Chinese outbound trade and investments," Shadurski said.

tuoyannan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/31/2015 page7)