Gansu, a quintessential inland province, has been progressively opening its doors to the world for over four decades of reform and opening up. Particularly since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC), the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with its forward-thinking vision, has planned and proposed the grand Belt and Road Initiative from a high strategic level, aiming to benefit the cause of our Party and our country. This initiative has thrust Gansu, situated on the golden corridor of the Silk Road Economic Belt, into the limelight of global openness. During his inspection tour in Gansu in August 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping expressed his great hope and trust that Gansu’s greatest opportunities lie in the Belt and Road Initiative. The entire province of Gansu has taken this to heart, seizing the “greatest opportunities” from a comprehensive perspective. We are planning to utilize these “greatest opportunities” based on national needs and Gansu’s capabilities, leveraging our geographical advantages, enhancing functions of platforms, expanding exchanges and cooperation. We are actively integrating into and serving the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerating the establishment of a new opening-up pattern by considering both domestic and international needs, building connections with other countries over land and sea, prioritizing westward development, and progressing in multiple directions.

With its long history, rich culture, and unique geographical location, Gansu has always been a strategic corridor connecting Europe and Asia and served as a vital transportation hub linking the east with the west, and the south with the north. Gansu’s extensive historical heritage and cultural foundation, along with its natural inclination towards openness, provide robust support for its better integration into and service of the Belt and Road Initiative construction.

The gene of openness drives economic prosperity. The ancient Silk Road, spanning thousands of kilometers and enduring for more than two millennia, stretches over 1,600 kilometers within Gansu Province, accounting for one-fifth of its total length. It has nurtured and developed “the spirit of the Silk Road”, with a core of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, and win-win collaboration. This has become a precious heritage of human civilization, bestowing Gansu with China’s earliest gene of openness. As a crucial transit point on the Silk Road, Chinese silk and technologies such as papermaking and iron smelting were successively introduced to the West, while Western products like gems, spices, and fruits made their way Eastward, with nearly half of the world’s goods passing through Gansu. During the Sui Dynasty, the world’s earliest “World Expo” was held at Yanzhi Mountain in Zhangye City. In the Han and Tang Dynasties, Wuwei, Zhangye, and Dunhuang flourished as international trade cities, thriving in both economy and culture. The entire region of Hexi Corridor and areas in the west of Mount Liupan prospered in agriculture and animal husbandry, with the people enjoying wealth and abundance. This era witnessed bustling scenes of “visiting emissaries and travelling merchants jostling one another” and “there is no place as prosper as the area of Longyou”, vividly depicting the prosperity of Gansu during that period.

The gene of openness fosters cultural prosperity. Civilizations are enriched through communication, and cultures are enhanced by mutual learning. Gansu is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation, serving as a vital cultural treasure trove. The cultural ancestors of the Chinese nation, Fuxi and Nuwa, were both born in Tianshui, while the Zhou people rose in Qingyang, and the Qin people established their roots in southeastern Gansu. During the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian’s mission to Western Regions opened the Silk Road, endowing Gansu with long and splendid history and culture. The prosperity of the Silk Road facilitated the convergence of ancient Chinese civilization with thoughts, religions, arts, and cultures from various countries and regions, such as ancient India, ancient Greece, and ancient Persia, in Gansu. The renowned scholar Ji Xianlin once remarked, “there are only four cultural systems in the world with a long history, vast territory, self-contained systems, and profound influence: China, India, Greece, and Islam; there is no fifth. And the only place where these four cultural systems converge covers Dunhuang in Gansu Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions in China. There is no second.” Gansu is a tapestry of intertwined cultures, including ancestral culture, agricultural culture, the Great Wall culture, Yellow River culture, Silk Road culture, revolutionary culture, and folk culture, all complementing each other in a harmonious blend.

The gene of openness promotes ethnic integration. Gansu is a multi-ethnic province where diverse ethnic groups have interacted, exchanged, and blended in history, creating a rich and vibrant ethnic and folk culture. Over thousands of years, people of various ethnicities have had extensive exchanges and learned from each other, integrated, and developed together, thriving and supporting each another on this land. This has formed a community where all are interdependent, composing a continuous and harmonious symphony of the Chinese nation’s progress. The areas with large ethnic minority populations in Gansu cover 183,600 square kilometers, accounting for 43% of the total area. There are 56 ethnic groups (covering all of them in China), with a minority population of 2.65 million, or 10.62% of the provincial population. Gansu is the only home to three minority groups - Dongxiang, Bao’an, and Yugu. The various ethnic groups in Gansu are closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate, working together for shared prosperity and development. These present a vivid picture of the unity of the Chinese nation and the concerted efforts to chase the Chinese Dream.

The gene of openness consolidates the foundation for development. The province has seized opportunities and accelerated its pace of progress through internal cooperation and opening up to the outside world, accumulating strong momentum for growth. Gansu has experienced remarkable development since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. During the First Five-Year Plan, Gansu was the home to 16 out of 156 national key projects. Later, many key industrial enterprises were relocated to Gansu from coastal areas and the northeast, giving rise to numerous large state-owned enterprises in the industrial sector. Since the reform and opening up, Gansu has undergone profound changes, with a significant increase in its comprehensive economic strength. The province’s GDP has grown from RMB 6.47 billion in 1978 to RMB 1.19 trillion in 2023, an average annual growth rate of 9% in comparable price. Its total foreign trade import and export value has increased from RMB 59.41 million in 1978 to RMB 49.17 billion in 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 16.1%. Notably, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Gansu has successfully won the critical battle against poverty, shedding its historical label as “one of the poorest provinces in the country”. In 2021, Gansu’s GDP exceeded RMB one trillion. The province’s economy then saw growths of 4.5% in 2022, ranking 2nd in China, and 6.4% in 2023, which put it at the 6th place nationwide. In the first quarter of this year, Gansu’s GDP grew by 5.9%, ranking 9th in China, showcasing a trend that is stable, competitive, quality-driven, structurally improved, and momentum-increasing. The province has taken concrete steps on the way of high-quality development.

In recent years, Gansu has steadfastly grasped the greatest opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative. By leveraging its geographical advantages, transforming cultural strengths, and amplifying industrial advantages, the province has advanced in the four directions of “westward expansion, eastward collaboration, northward connectivity, and southward extension”. Through opening up, the province has promoted exchanges, cooperation, development, and mutual benefit, transformed the Belt and Road Initiative from concept to action, from vision to reality, from to free sketch to refined blueprint, and created a new phase of external-oriented economic development. Specifically, Gansu has adeptly played the “five cards”:

Gansu is playing the “Policy Card” to set the new direction for opening-up. Firmly grasping Gansu’s strategic positioning as “an important gateway and sub-regional cooperation strategic base for China’s westward opening, as well as a crucial part of the Silk Road Economic Belt”, the province has enhanced its policy system. It has successively formulated and issued the overall plan for the construction of the Gansu section of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the implementation plan for the Belt and Road Initiative construction, providing clear plans for integrating into and serving the initiative. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Gansu introduced a series of supporting policies in areas such as trade and logistics, port economy, multi-dimensional transportation, and investment promotion to accelerate building the new pattern for comprehensive opening up, while improving the major projects reservoir of the Belt and Road Initiative as well as planning and implementing a batch of supporting projects. The province continually refines its policy system for the opening up, with a clear and definite direction. 

Gansu is playing the “Platform Card” to expand new horizons for opening up. Focusing on platform construction as a key driving force of opening up, we are determined to establish economic, trade, and cultural platforms to facilitate international cooperation. The construction of land ports and airports has been expedited, with the successful operation of Lanzhou Railway Port, Lanzhou New Area Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Wuwei Bonded Logistics Center (Type B), and 10 designated ports for chilled aquatic products, meat, timber, and grain. Lanzhou and Jiuquan have been recognized as the bearing cities of national logistics hubs, while Lanzhou and Tianshui have received approval for the establishment of national cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones. Lanzhou New Area has emerged as a strategic platform for China’s westward opening up, serving as a vital industrial base, a key growth pole in China’s west, and a demonstration area for undertaking industrial transfer. The China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair has become a window for opening up, and a platform for economic and trade cooperation. In 2023, 1,172 projects were signed at this fair, totaling RMB 560.77 billion, representing an increase of 30.51% and 5.58% year-on-year, respectively.

Gansu is playing the “Infrastructure Card” to reinforce new supports for opening up. We are accelerating the implementation of key transportation and logistics projects that run east to west, connect north to south, and link land, sea, and air. Actively promoting major cross-regional opening and cooperation projects, such as west-east power transmission, West-East Gas Pipeline, west-east oil transportation, east-west data processing, and north-south coal transportation, we have opened and operated 5 international freight routes in 4 directions, enhancing the capacity of the New Eurasian Land Bridge and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. The province’s total highway mileage, railroad mileage, and high-speed railroad mileage have reached 158,200 kilometers, 5,765 kilometers, and 1,600 kilometers respectively. The first-class highway mileage has exceeded 7,900 kilometers, with 80 counties, cities and districts now accessible via highways. The layout of the aviation network has become more rational and efficient, with the resumption of the Lanzhou-Bangkok international passenger route, the opening of the Lanzhou-Nha Trang international passenger route, and the launch of three new international air cargo routes including those from Lanzhou to Moscow and Siberia, bringing the total number of international cargo routes to 16.

Gansu is playing the “Trade Card” to build the new engines for opening up. Taking trade as the “main battlefield” of reform and opening up, Gansu has established economic and trade ties with over 180 countries and regions, set up cooperation mechanisms with overseas business associations, established overseas representative offices, and carried out international science and technology collaboration projects. In 2023, Gansu’s total foreign trade export value grew by 3.8% year-on-year, outpacing that of the entire country by 3.2 percentage points. Imports and exports with ASEAN countries surged by 55%. The total import and export value with Belt and Road Initiative participants accounted for 74.6% of Gansu’s total foreign trade, while trade with RCEP members reached RMB 13.12 billion. Contracted foreign investment exceeded RMB one trillion, with actual utilized funds of RMB 596.13 billion, up 44.1% and 41.8%, respectively. In the province, the number of foreign trade entities with performance increased from 540 at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan to 736, including 39 enterprises with import-export volumes exceeding RMB 100 million.

Gansu is playing the “Communication Card” to stimulate new momentum in its opening up. It has held high-quality events like the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and Dunhuang Tour–Silk Road International Tourism Festival, conducted diverse international exhibitions and cultural exchanges, and promoted Dunhuang culture globally through exhibitions, academic exchanges, performing arts, and cultural creativity, making greater strides in facilitating mutual learning, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity. The number of institutions in the University Alliance of the Belt and Road has reached 184. Gansu has established 16 overseas Traditional Chinese Medicine Centers or Qi Huang Traditional Chinese Medicine Institutes, and 9 Confucius Institutes, as well as implemented over 150 international science and technology cooperation projects. It has strengthened cooperation with official think tanks of other Belt and Road countries, compiling a series of books on the history of friendly relations between China and Silk Road countries. Gansu has forged 66 pairs of international sister city relationships, including with the state of Oklahoma of the US, Christchurch of New Zealand, as well as Govi-Altai Province and Bayankhongor Province of Mongolia.

Gansu is presented with an unparalleled opportunity in the new era to follow the “Eight Steps” proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. With a steadfast commitment to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s enlightened expositions on opening up and his profound insights shared at the symposium on propelling the development of western regions in the new era, Gansu will make resolute efforts in opening up channels to the world, fortifying and optimizing our open platforms, and exploring new frontiers of open cooperation. We shall promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative with loftier starting points, more exalted levels, and higher goals. With an even more open heart, Gansu eagerly extends its warm embrace to the world.

Gansu Province has been focusing on strengthening channel hubs and building a comprehensive three-dimensional network. This network, encompassing “land, sea, sky, and the internet”, is built upon open elements such as channels, hubs, and information. The province has continuously improved basic conditions and strived to create a three-dimensional open channel pattern. The acceleration of modern land transportation network construction has been a priority, with a focus on enhancing southward connectivity and linking the “Belt” and “Road”. The province has actively promoted the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and has expedited the construction of major transportation projects, including Lanzhou-Hezuo Railway, Xi’an-Chengdu High-speed Railway (Gansu section), Tianshui-Longnan Railway, and Wudu-Jiuzhaigou Highway. Plans have been implemented for railway projects such as Lanzhou-Hanzhong-Shiyan High-speed Railway and the Qingyang-Yan’an High-speed Railway. The province has also promoted the expansion and transformation of busy sections of national highways such as Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway and Beijing–Lhasa Expressway. The construction of the “Air Silk Road” has been accelerated, with the implementation of the third phase expansion project of Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport and the reconstruction and expansion project of Jiayuguan Jiuquan Airport. Preliminary work has been carried out for airports in Pingliang, Linxia, Wuwei, and Tianshui. The province has promoted the opening of international passenger and cargo routes with Belt and Road Initiative participating countries, transforming Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport into a comprehensive international aviation hub. Relying on Lanzhou and Dunhuang air ports, the province has opened up international direct passenger and cargo routes to promote the development of the airport economy. The creation of spatial information corridors has been accelerated, with the efficient operation of Lanzhou’s national-level Internet backbone direct connection points. The province has accelerated the construction of a national hub node (Gansu) of the national integrated computing power network, and has explored the establishment of a province-wide computing power “front shop, back factory” pattern with Qingyang as the leader. The province has explored communication hubs, information, and big data services for countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. The high-quality development of international trains has been accelerated. The province has continued to promote the stable operation of the two multimodal transport demonstration projects of International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou) and Lanzhou New Area. It has deepened the construction of national logistics hubs in Lanzhou and Jiuquan, and accelerated the construction of national key bases for cold chain logistics in Lanzhou, Zhangye, and Tianshui. The international logistics functions of international land ports Lanzhou, Wuwei, and Tianshui have been continuously optimized and improved. The province has promoted the stable operation of international freight trains such as road-rail combined transport to Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia, and the rail-sea combined transport via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Gansu is expanding the scale of international trade and building an open economy. Four major actions are being implemented to significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of foreign trade. The first action is the development and cultivation of foreign trade markets, by promoting institutional, managerial, and service innovations in the cross-border e-commerce pilot zones of Lanzhou and Tianshui, and building cross-border e-commerce industrial chains and ecosystems. The “cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt” model is being actively fostered, with support provided to cities and prefectures in constructing cross-border e-commerce industrial parks. The second action is to upgrade new forms of foreign trade, by introducing and nurturing leading cross-border e-commerce enterprises and platforms, and supporting enterprises to expand sales channels and cultivate their own brands through cross-border e-commerce. Efforts are being made to facilitate the establishment of overseas warehouses for foreign trade enterprises, cross-border e-commerce, and logistics companies in key trading countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. The third action is involve the construction of foreign trade bases, by consolidating and upgrading national-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases for apples, onions, seeds, petroleum equipment, and new materials, as well as nurturing and developing provincial-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases for new energy, fine chemicals, and traditional Chinese medicine. The development of trade in services is being expedited, with support provided to the national service export base for traditional Chinese medicine at Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, and endorsing Dunhuang’s application to be a National Cultural Export Base. Furthermore, efforts are being intensified in the expansion of foreign trade products, accelerating the upgrading of the non-ferrous metal industry, encouraging enterprises to participate in cooperative overseas resource development, promoting investment cooperation in new energy mineral resources such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium, and expanding imports of resource-based products, raw materials, and intermediate goods. The international market layout is being optimized, with vigorous efforts to expand markets in Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and RCEP member states, and increasing exports of distinctive and advantageous products.

Gansu is deepening mutual learning and mutual promotion, and carrying out cutting-edge cooperation. With a focus on grounding, cohesiveness, low cost, and sustainability, we are promoting the construction of “small yet smart” projects within the Belt and Road Initiative, and advancing cooperation in multiple fields. Together, we are building an innovative Silk Road, implementing the Belt and Road Initiative science and technology innovation action plan, actively nurturing the declaration of Belt and Road Initiative joint laboratories and international technology transfer centers. We are continually strengthening cooperation in cutting-edge areas with countries along the Silk Road, and deepening the integration of science and technology into industry and finance, accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces. Together, we are building a digital Silk Road, benchmarking international high-standard digital rules, deepening international cooperation in areas such as digital government, digital economy, and digital society. We are creating a number of cooperation projects in the development of the digital industry, digital transformation, digital literacy, and skills improvement, and establishing Lanzhou as a pilot zone for “Silk Road e-commerce” cooperation. Together, we are building a green Silk Road, jointly tackling the challenges of climate change, strengthening practical cooperation with countries along the Silk Road in biodiversity conservation, pollution control, circular economy, green infrastructure, green energy, green transportation, green finance, desertification, and dust storm prevention. Together, we are building a healthy Silk Road, accelerating the construction of a national comprehensive pilot zone for the development of traditional Chinese medicine industry, hosting the China (Gansu) Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Expo, deepening health and medical cooperation, actively building an international health cooperation platform, and establishing Qi Huang Traditional Chinese Medicine Institutes and Traditional Chinese Medicine Centers. Together, we are building a clean Silk Road, making clean and efficient practices an inherent requirement and important guarantee for the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. We adhere to the principles of cooperation in building a clean partnership, creating a clean business environment, and sharing the results of clean development. We strengthen clean risk prevention and control in areas such as overseas investment and operations, and ensure the effective implementation of various cooperation.

Gansu is building cultural brands to tell its own stories. We are fully leveraging cultural advantages, making resource elements more attractive, and promoting in-depth and concrete people-to-people exchanges. Efforts are being made to enhance the Dunhuang culture, accelerate the construction of Dunhuang as a highland for research and education, and advance the establishment of exemplary projects for the protection of world cultural heritage. The first key national laboratory and big data center in the field of cultural heritage are being established at Dunhuang Academy. This is coupled with active engagement in international academic research activities, promoting mutual learning, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity. By enhancing the functions of various platforms and festivals, Gansu is proactively serving as a hub for key regional strategies, integrating into the construction of a unified national market, and deepening cooperation with the eastern, central, and northeastern regions of China. Innovations are being made in the docking mechanism of open platforms in eastern, central, and western China, ensuring the success of the China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair, the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, and maximizing the advantages of brand festivals like the Fuxi Chinese Ancestors Memorial Ceremony and the Beautiful Countryside International Forum. The aim is to create landmark events under the Belt and Road Initiative. Support is being provided for non-governmental exchanges, strengthening exchanges between non-governmental organizations, actively participating in national brand promotion activities such as the “Cultural Journey of Silk Road”, enhancing cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, and regions such as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. This fosters closer exchanges among women, youth, people with disabilities, and other groups to consolidate public opinion and support. Efforts are being made to improve the University Alliance of the Belt and Road and to promote cooperation in vocational education between China and foreign countries. Efforts are also being made to deepen the development of sister cities (provinces and states), expanding channels of communication, and enhancing cultural and friendly exchanges. This involves improving and optimizing the layout of sister cities, increasing the activation and establishment efforts of sister cities, and jointly organizing anniversary celebrations with friendly overseas cities.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, the Belt and Road Initiative are wide and open avenues for us all. Being target-oriented and action-oriented, we will vigorously promote the spirit of the Silk Road and formulate a better plan on implementing the “Eight Steps” so as to better participate in the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. With adhering to the combination of “bringing in” and “going global”, we will advance the implementation and refinement of various tasks, strive to enhance the level of an open economy, and make contributions to comprehensively promoting the Chinese modernization and to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Gansu is maintaining the idea of opening up. In the new journey of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, advancing the Gansu practice of Chinese modernization requires firmly establishing the opening up idea, promoting great development through great openness, in order to seize opportunities, leverage advantages, take the initiative, and accelerate development. With a global perspective, we are further changing mindset and innovating approaches, seizing and expanding opportunities created by the external environment, and continuously enhancing the effectiveness of opening up. Moreover, by strengthening systemic perspective and adhering to reform-driven progress and key breakthroughs, we are accelerating the construction of institutional opening up and shaping new advantages.

Gansu is improving the framework of the policy system. We are continuously enhancing the policy system, placing greater emphasis on the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative in modernization. We are strengthening the working mechanisms, enhancing leadership capabilities, and ensuring accountability. Keeping in line with international economic and trade rules, we are strengthening the alignment of various policies, laws, standards, and regulations. We are increasing financial support, establishing a sound financing mechanism for key projects of the Belt and Road Initiative at home and abroad, and guiding enterprises in utilizing capital markets along the Belt and Road Initiative for financing. Provincial-level special funds are being coordinated to support key “going global” projects and important opening platforms in the province.

Gansu is prepared to hold the bottom line. We are thoroughly implementing a holistic approach to national security, better prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, and continuously enhancing risk prevention capabilities. We are building solid security barriers for opening up, and promoting development and security through openness. The focus is on enhancing the resilience and security level of industrial and supply chains, and enhancing comprehensive strength through high-level opening up. We are also strengthening foreign-related security management, thoroughly checking and resolving various foreign-related security risks, and preventing and responding to various risk factors.

Gansu is shouldering the historical responsibility of expanding opening up. We are resolutely taking on the historical responsibility of expanding opening up, persisting in integrating leadership of the Communist Party of China into the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative construction in all fields and aspects. We are truly achieving self-confidence and self-reliance, openness and inclusiveness, fairness and justice, cooperation and win-win outcomes, and deepening opening up in line with the times. Gansu has launched activities of improving the business environment and making breakthroughs, as well as initiatives of attracting big, strong and leading enterprises. By considering the big picture, coordinating efforts, forming a synergy, and with a more proactive sense of mission and more practical and effective measures, we are endeavoring to make new achievements in the Belt and Road construction.

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Ren Zhenhe is Deputy Secretary of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee and Governor of Gansu Province.