Off the wire
• New committee to uphold media ethics  • Eight presidential candidates denounce fraud in Haiti's general election  • El Salvador to host Junior Men's Epee World Cup  • Beal's 0.3 seconds left 3-pointer lifts Wizards past Spurs  • Non-communist parties, groups applaud upcoming Xi-Ma meeting  • China drops three slots in lastest FIFA rankings  • Chinese-backed program empowers women in Mogadishu  • T. Leste's strong quake injures 3 people, damages hundreds houses, buildings in Indonesia  • UN vows to nurture refugee talent in Kenya  • Philippine budget shortfall reaches 472.80 mln USD in September  
You are here: 　 Home

Luxembourg's Grand Duke stresses importance of new "Silk Road" routes

Xinhua, November 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri stressed the importance of strengthening the new "Silk Road" and connectivity between Europe and Asia in a speech to open the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers on Thursday.

The 12th meeting comes at a time when ASEM is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary and set new goals to meet the new challenges of the next decade, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg said.

One of the major challenges will be to shape together the political, economic and social development of Europe and Asia, in a spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

According to Grand Duke Henri, this development should be based on sustainable economies while helping to strengthen the new "Silk Road" and connectivity between Europe and Asia.

Trade was already flourishing between Europe and Asia in the time of antiquity, he said, and it has been a powerful catalyst for exchanges between the East and the West in the fields of culture, religion and art.

Some trade routes such as the 6,000km "Silk Road" were so successful that as early as the first century AD, merchants, diplomats and travellers could reach China and Japan from Great Britain and Spain, he said.

These routes were used to transfer raw materials, food and luxury goods. The cities that were located along these routes have naturally been enriched by acting as international markets or becoming cultural and artistic centres.

According to the Grand Duke, land and sea routes such as the "Silk Road", the Spice Route and the Incense Route, are early examples of political and cultural integration between Asia and Europe, created by the development of international trade.

They also allowed ideas, discoveries and inventions to reach different parts of the globe, changing the lives of mankind, he said.

Today, Asia and Europe are "essential" players in the world geopolitical scene and "our links go back a very long way", the Grand Duke concluded.

The 12th ASEM meeting of foreign ministers takes place from Nov. 5 - 6 in Luxembourg under the theme of "Working together for a sustainable and secure future".

The ASEM, established in 1996, consists of 51 partner countries in Asia and Europe, as well as two international organizations, namely the European Union and the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEM aims to deepen political, economic and social relations between the two continents. Endit