CRI听力:One belt, one road initiative helps SMEs expand overseas

Lu Mofei launched his own website, his maiden entrepreneurial effort, when he was still a college student decades ago.

He's since managed to develop a leading business services firm.

Lu Mofei admits that launching a start-up in China can be a daunting task.

"At present, those who want to start their own businesses in China are faced with lots of pressure. The "One belt, One road initiative" has inspired me to explore new opportunities for them. China is relatively mature in IT technology and other nations are behind China in terms of Internet and innovation capabilities."

Lu Mofei cites Expo 2020 Dubai as an example of potential opportunities.

High on UAE's agenda is trying to transform Dubai into the next Silicon Valley.

"Dubai's ambition to become a silicon valley in Asia has prompted me to consider new business opportunities. If China's small and medium-sized IT firms can seize these opportunities, they are more likely to tap into other markets, like Southeast Asia. This is part of the reason I decided to start assisting SMEs."

Lu's company, Xinde Business Services, offers services to small startups.

His company has earned the "Star Award" from the China Business Association Service Committee for its achievements in helping serve the domestic business community.

Lu Mofei says one of the start-ups he's particularly proud of helping is a group behind a program called 'NOT Add,' which creates software written in PHP language. The program was started by a group of college graduates.

"We've helped them grow up, including helping them find the right direction in their R & D efforts. They had been trying for two years to gain interest from investors, but with little success. Once we moved into help them, they were able to gain investors this year."

Another area Lu Mofei is focused on is artificial intelligence, which is being promoted by the Chinese government as a way to create smart cities along the Belt and Road.

Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a call earlier this year for an expansion of the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

Lu Mofei says this is a driving factor for many start-ups in China.

"In my estimation, artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most popular areas for startups in China. I've been working with people in the city of Xi'an to try to develop an artificial intelligence training center there. We've chosen Xi'an because the city is the starting point for the Silk Road Economic Belt. It's also home to a wealth of educational resources and scientific research institutions."

Lu Mofei has also taken part in a one-year "dot biz" Business Leader Program.

As one of the global Internet business domains that are favored by both big and small businesses in the world, "dot biz", short for business, has been only one of a few domains approved by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Its Business Leader Program aims to encourage and support business owners like Lu by giving them opportunities on an international level.

Lu Mofei says through the The Belt and Road initiative, more and more start-ups in China are going to find an opportunity to expand abroad, saying they'll be likely to thrive, rather than just survive.