Academic and policy experts concluded the three-day 17th Silk Road Studies Forum at Shanghai International Studies University on Saturday, with particular emphasis on Xinjiang’s growing strategic importance within China’s Belt and Road Initiative framework. The gathering brought together 40 specialists from Beijing, Shanghai, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to examine critical dimensions of China’s western development strategy.
Forum discussions centered on autonomous knowledge production in western China’s neighboring regions, discourse system development, and quality enhancement within BRI core zones. Participants unanimously stressed that research concerning western China’s border areas must maintain alignment with appropriate political, value-based, and academic orientations to ensure strategic coherence.
Xinjiang received significant attention as experts identified the region’s evolving function as a crucial operational nexus within the BRI infrastructure. Representatives from Xinjiang Arts University presented concrete methodologies for cultural empowerment through artistic initiatives implemented in recent years. Meanwhile, officials from Shanghai’s publicity department outlined major cultural enrichment projects that Shanghai has pioneered in Xinjiang.
A Ministry of Education official highlighted the dual significance of western regional research, noting its fundamental role in both understanding historical Silk Road dynamics and supporting China’s contemporary diplomatic and foreign policy architecture. The forum, now in its seventeenth iteration, has established itself as one of China’s most influential platforms for BRI-related academic exchange.
The Institute of Silk Road Strategy Studies at SISU, marking its tenth anniversary, reported substantial advancements in research covering western China’s neighboring territories. Looking forward, the institute plans to intensify exploration of China’s autonomous knowledge production pathways to facilitate high-quality BRI collaboration over the next five-year period.