CRI听力:Unimpeded Trade Sought After Along "Belt and Road" Initiative Route

Said to be the world's largest market for wholesale, small-scale commodities, the city of Yiwu is being touted as a pivot city in the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

"There are 1.8 million kinds of products available from over 100 countries in the Yiwu Small Commodity Market."

Sheng Qiuping is the Mayor of Yiwu.

"We have a well-developed transportation network, and convenient logistics and customs clearance system. Yiwu's foreign trade enjoyed annual growth of 43-percent in the first five months against the backdrop of the economic slowdown in the country. The city's foreign trade volume is expected to surpass 30 billion US dollars this year."

But the picture is not that rosy in other cities along the "Belt and Road" route.

And their biggest concern?

"Security issue will be a challenge."

"Security is a concern. Security."

"Security issues in Afghanistan."

The Belt and Road Initiative is designed to try to bring China economically closer to the rest of the world, linking Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and Europe through a series of trade routes.

But some countries and regions along the route, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, are economically, politically and militarily unstable.

Now efforts are being made to break the bottleneck.

Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Hussain Khokhar says he feels working with China is one of the best ways to break the cycle.

"We all have to cooperate to ensure that these projects are secure, and that terrorism and extremist people and people who believe in separatism do not create problems for Pakistan and China."

Nine army battalions and six wings of civilian security forces are reportedly going to be devoted to protecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

This is a passageway connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt through the restive tribal areas with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which is the sea trade route included in the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Aside from physically protecting the routes, Ariella Viehe, an international affairs fellow with the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, says long-term strategies for the region are also needed.

"One thing we have learnt that's very challenging is to ensure the sustainability of economic growth. And that includes long-term education. It includes many conferences like this to build cultural, social and business ties. We require thinking about the project not just in getting it done, but in making sure it has impact for decades to come."

The United States launched a similar project called the "New Silk Road" in 2011, mainly focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.

The two-day forum in Yiwu has been organized by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun reporting from Yiwu.