Shaanxi sees new role as central hub

The central government should use more favorable policies to boost manufacturing in Shaanxi province, a key hub for the Belt and Road Initiative, national legislators from the province have suggested.

The Belt and Road Initiative, a development strategy proposed by the Chinese government in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt, which will link China with Europe through Central and Western Asia, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which stretches from southern China to Southeast Asia, and even to Africa. The ambitious plan is estimated to benefit about 4.4 billion people in 65 nations, the government said.

"Shaanxi is the engine of the economy in China's western regions, but it is now highly dependent on the mining and energy industries. Most industrial products made in Shaanxi have a low level of technology. The province's exports make up a small proportion of its GDP," said Wang Xilin, vice-president of the Shaanxi Federation of Industry and Commerce and a deputy to the 12th National People's Congress, who submitted the suggestion to the 12th National People's Congress on behalf of several deputies from Shaanxi.