From:The Government Website of Shaanxi Province 2014-04-23
The 8th Guanzhong Development Forum was held in Xi’an Yongcun Hotel on April 19, with the theme of the construction of the urban agglomeration in Guanzhong District and starting point of the Silk Road economic belt.
 
With the successful experiences in the past seven events, great achievement have been made in many sectors, including the planning and promotion of the Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone Development, Triangle Economic Zone in West China, formulation of the planning on recovering the old revolutionary base areas in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, and the Western Development. This forum will be themed on the construction of the urban agglomeration and the Silk Road economic belt. Participants will take an in-depth discussion on how to seize the opportunities to build the new starting point of the Silk Road economic belt, how to develop the urban agglomeration and bring the Guanzhong-Tianshui economic zone and Western Development into full play, and propose suggestions for these issues.
 
Zhang Baotong, Chairman of Shaanxi Urban Economic and Cultural Research Institute, said that Shaanxi is facing with huge challenges to develop as a new starting point of the Silk Road economic belt construction, for surrounding cities threatening Xi’an position like Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Taiyuan. Zhang explained that the title of Xi’an as a new starting point of the Silk Road economic belt is not self-given but recognized in terms of its own comprehensive power. He said, there are four basic links which should be attached great importance, such as building Xi’an as an international metropolis, driving up the development of Guanzhong District and even the Northwest China and opening wider to the Eurasia for Shaanxi to build the economic belt. It could not come true until all of them are strong. As for the construction of Guanzhong, Zhang proposed to focus on Xianyang development, which could further boost the development of Xi’an, Tongchuan and Yangling, fulfill the status of Hancheng and Huayin as a city under direct administration of the province and upgrade Huangling, the holy land of the Chinese nation, as a municipal city.
 
Xi’an: aiming at the bellwether during the construction of the Silk Road economic belt
Jia Shuangshe, Deputy Secretary of Xi’an Municipal Government, delivered a speech in the Forum and stated that Xi’an aims at the bellwether during the construction of the Silk Road economic belt. He said, its construction brought significant development opportunities for Xi’an and core cities in Guanzhong District and Xi’an has the advantages in the construction for its economic growth, geographic position and opening-up level. He introduced that Xi’an will seize the opportunity and take initiatives in building a new starting point of the Silk Road economic belt. To be specific, Xi’an will spare no effort to create a development and opening-up highland of the Silk Road economic belt, financial, commercial and logistics center, mechanic manufacturing center, energy, storage and transport center, cultural tourism center, scientific technology R&D center and high-end talent training center so as to play a leading role in building Xi’an as an international metropolis, driving up the development of Guanzhong and even the Northwest China, inherit the spirit of the Silk Road and revitalize the Silk Road economy.