The Silk Road was an important trade route that extended from Chang'an (now Xi'an) to Rome, connecting China to other Asian and European countries more than 2,100 years ago. Merchants from Rome, Persia and other regions, as well as those from Japan and Korea, would gather in Chang'an, making the ancient city a center for Asia-Europe cooperation and exchange, contributing greatly to East-West economic and cultural exchanges during those ancient times.

The first cosmopolitan city in China's history, Xi'an now extends an invitation to entrepreneurs from all over the world. The first World Xi'an Entrepreneurs Convention, hosted by Xi'an Municipal Government, took place in the city of Xi'an on August 19-20. The convention, themed Belt and Road: New Xi'an, New Economy, New Vitality, invited entrepreneurs and others who were born, grew up or educated in Xi'an, who started businesses in Xi'an or who have formed attachments to Xi'an in other ways, to gather in the ancient city and to seize opportunities for innovation and startups, focusing on markets both at home and abroad.

Covering multiple sectors, including financial investment and e-commerce, over 1,300 distinguished guests from 18 countries and regions from China and beyond, including Liu Chuanzhi, Chairperson of the world's biggest PC maker the Lenovo Group, Jack Ma, Chairperson of the world's largest retail platform the Alibaba Group, Jia Pingwa and Yu Qiuyu, renowned Chinese writers, attended the convention.

Xi'an was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, and is now a vital portal along the renewed Silk Road, and also a center for Western connections in the Chinese section of the New Eurasian Land Bridge. With all these unique advantages, the city has become greatly significant for east-coast Chinese investors to gain a foothold in many important overseas markets, particularly in Central Asia and Europe. According to many investors and entrepreneurs, economic development in the western inland areas spearheaded by the cities of Xi'an and Chengdu, together with the introduction of the Belt and Road initiative, has made western China increasingly attractive to international and domestic investors.

At the Convention, the Xi'an Chamber of Commerce, Xi'an Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Shaanxi Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Shaanxi Federation in France, Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce in Canada, Northwestern China Chamber of Commerce in Australia, Overseas Chinese Society for Technology and Business in the UK, Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cyprus, Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce in Central Asia, and the Xi'an Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong all signed a cooperation agreement.

Source: ANTARA