Page 91 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.78, # 2, 2021, pp. 89-104

From the mode of transportation, the Silk Road is mainly divided into the onshore
Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. The onshore Silk Road refers to the Western
Han Dynasty, opening up the western region with the capital Chang'an (now Xi'an)
as the starting point, Rome as the end, a total length of 6440 kilometers. This road is
considered to be the intersection of ancient Eastern and Western civilizations. The
Maritime Silk Road refers to the ancient China and the rest of the world for
economic communication. The earliest one was opened in the Qin and Han
dynasties. (Chinese Cultural Center, 2019).

The Belt and Road Initiative
In China, there are many books related to the "Belt and Road". In his article "Silk
Road Economic Belt and Corridor Economic Development" in 2014, Gao believed
that the "Belt and Road" is an important channel for trade and cultural exchanges
between the East and the West. It is necessary to make full use of cultural and
geographical advantages to inject vitality into the economic development along the
route. Feng (2014) believed in "The Strategic Significance of the Belt and Road
Initiative" that the "Belt and Road" concept is of great significance in China.

Howard (2014) mentioned that cooperation with China and other countries is not a
bad thing, cooperation can strive for the greatest benefits, and both sides can show
more culture, which is beneficial to the international development of the country.

Around 2015, the importance of Europe in The Belt and Road Initiative received
extensive attention from China. Since then, the literature devoted to the study of
China-EU cooperation under the “Belt and Road” has gradually increased. In
general, the Chinese side is generally optimistic about the cooperation under the
China-EU initiative. The researchers conducted a detailed analysis of the
cooperation under the China-EU "Belt and Road" initiative from the perspective of
strategy and policy, and put forward some suggestions. Among them, the
representative studies are as follows: Zhang Ji and Chen (2015) argued in “The Belt
and Road Initiative's China-EU Docking: A Two-Level European Perspective” that
China-EU cooperation under the "Belt and Road" has gone through a stage from
ambiguity to local alignment. Then to the overall connection. In the process, the two
sides formed a closer cooperative relationship. Liu (2015) "Europe and the "Belt and
Road": Response and Risks "Focus" on 16+1 Cooperation "Between China and
Central and Eastern Europe. This paper analyzes the risks of China-Europe
cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative. Liu (2015).

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