CRI听力:Business Leaders Positive about Regional Inter-connectivity

Business leaders have singled out infrastructure construction as one of the key engines to boost connectivity in the APEC region.

Shu Yebiao, the general director of China's State Grid, says in terms of power transmission, enhanced connectivity can help the region to share resources.

"We are planing to activate the construction of the One Belt One Road power transmission corridor. The project includes connecting our power grids with that of five central Asian countries. China has huge demand for power, which can provide a big market for the five countries. Meanwhile, the five countries have abundant solar and wind power resources, if the inter-connectivity scheme starts, we will be able to share the resources."

Shu says the State Grid is also in talks with Mongolia and Russia over transnational power transmission projects.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives were proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bid to promote interconnected development in the region.

The idea of an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was also put forward in order to finance infrastructure construction.

Last month, 21 Asian countries inked a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the bank with an expected initial subscribed capital of 50 billion U.S. Dollars.

Wayne Boyd from the New Zealand based Partitio Holdings is positive about what the bank can bring along.

"It's a great move for Asia Pacific. There are needs along with the capital will come a lot of expertise on how to manage infrastructure projects, how to deliver the benefits and cost-benefit analysis underpins the projects. So I think we are going to see a lot more expertise in actually delivering infrastructure projects and part of it will be seeded by this very good initiative from China to actually create this bank."

Apart from infrastructure, the Honourable Perrin Beatty, the President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says that improved connectivity can also promote culture exchanges.

"It can be both digital connectivity, but also connectivity in terms of exchanges of we could see economic activities among universities for example where students going aboard and getting to have education that will enable them to better understand the cultures and ways of doing things in other parts of the world."

The regional leaders are expected to issue a roadmap on reinforcing the region's connectivity at the end of the APEC meetings this week.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.