China hosts media summit to enhance awareness on Silk Road

BEIJING: As China began implementing its mega Silk Road initiatives aimed at improving connectivity and expanding its influence, ruling Communist party's mouthpiece People's Daily today held an international media cooperation forum set up to enhance awareness about the multi-billion dollar projects.

The forum had a large scale participation with number of foreign media organisations present.

Officially known as the "One Belt and One Road" (OBOR), it involves a maze of roads and sea routes and infrastructure projects connecting different ports in the world to improve trade and connectivity.

The ambitious initiative involving billions of dollars in investment was mooted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

The OBOR involves the revival of the ancient Silk Road connecting China and Europe through the Central Asia, construction of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and 21st century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) connecting different ports in the neighbourhood and world to improve trade.

The Forum has invited 160 journalists from 60 countries, including India, to interact on various aspects of the OBOR initiative which evoked mixed reactions from the world.

India is taking part in the BCIM projects while objecting to the CPEC which is being built through the disputed region of PoK.

India is yet to pronounce its stand on the MSR over its strategic implications of enhancing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region.

China offered to link its MSR with India's initiatives like Mausam.

In order to implement the projects, China has set up a $40 billion Silk Road Fund and floated the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank with subscribed capital of $50 billion in which India and 56 other countries joined.