Blue Silk Road initiative welcomed by Maltese premier

Prime Minister addressing Eco Forum in Guiyang

This afternoon the Prime Minister addressed a workshop where he talked about the establishment of a green, and blue, Silk Road. 

“This requires the creation of a common vision supported by commitment by all concerned,” he said.

The Chinese government are exhuming the concept of the Silk Road, an ancient trading route that connected West to East, to bolster trade.

A former Chinese senior foreign policy advisor invited to the conference outlined the philosophy of the Silk Road, making reference to Bertrand Russells’ writings about merging civilisations.

Maltese Premier Muscat clearly approved of the idea, which explains why he was chosen to be a key speaker in this workshop.

Muscat told the workshop about the revival of a Silk Road to instill stability through connectivity in trade.

“We must bridge the Eurasian continent and the Mediterranean world, the very fact this was happening with China was a significant feat,” he added.

“Malta, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean, with centuries of interactions with different regional cultures and trading outposts, is posed today to assume the role as the Western most end of the maritime Silk Road, providing a platform for trade and economic cooperation with Europe and North Africa.”

He said that with a cultural history spanning thousands of years, Malta had experienced the challenges of maintaining and re-inventing heritage in a meaningful manner.

“This makes us an ideal partner with China. Our co-operation goes back in time and together we are now aiming to forge a new blue dimension to the meaning of the Silk Road.

“We can secure the extension of the Silk Road by bridging two crossroads: the far eastern borders of Asia with Europe and the other between Europe and Africa.”

Muscat said that the venture between Shanghai electric and EneMalta would mean gaining intellectual knowledge on renewable technology and allow Malta to also become a significant player in establishing the 21st century maritime Silk Road for a growing maritime economy.

Earlier in the day, Muscat together with other foreign and Chinese dignitaries planted a tree as a symbolic gesture. He did this next to the trees planted by Tony Blair and Gerhard Shroeder in previous Eco-forum conferences.