Over the past two years, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders conducted a series of pragmatic negotiations and cooperation with countries along the Road during visits to those countries, and many major projects have been carried out.

Meanwhile, we are clearly aware that building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road is a painstaking task that can neither be completed overnight nor by China alone. Facing disturbing factors such as geopolitical conflicts, frictions in realistic interests, and differences in history and culture, all parties need to join hands to overcome these roadblocks. Especially in its early stages, building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road requires governments, enterprises, think tanks, and media organizations from all countries along the Road to take part comprehensively. More importantly, we need to start with some pragmatic cooperative projects through mutual consultation and joint efforts, promote the initiative in a down-to-earth manner and solve difficulties and challenges in the process of cooperation step-by-step.

Over the last two millennia, merchant ships loaded with Chinese silk, Indian perfumes and Arabic specialty goods shuttled along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, which also facilitated the westward transmission of paper-making and printing and the eastward transmission of Buddhism and Christianity. More importantly, the ancient Maritime Silk Road fostered the "Silk Road Spirit" characterized by countries of contrasting races, beliefs and cultural backgrounds completely sharing peace and joint development by adhering to principles of unity, mutual trust and benefits, equality, inclusiveness, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation. In the new era, we should similarly share common values of openness, harmony, equality, and inclusiveness.

Dear friends,

As China's earliest and largest institution dedicated to international communication, CIPG considers participating in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, especially in the realm of cultural exchange, our bound duty and responsibility. We cheerfully look forward to enhancing dialogue and cooperation amongst think tanks and media organizations from countries along the Road in varied ways while promoting cultural exchange in a comprehensive manner, thus contributing to mutual caring, recognition, exchange and cooperation between different cultures and civilizations.

I found many concrete ideas and suggestions to push the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in papers submitted to the Seminar by scholars. For instance, Professor Saleh Hamad Al-Sagri from Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University proposed to establish an international organization named Maritime Silk Road, Noriyoshi Ehara, chief economist of the Institute of International Trade and Investment Japan, proposed to set up the Silk Road Free Trade Zone, and Professor Xiong Chengyu from Tsinghua University suggested to incorporate the development of the culture industry into the overall strategic plan to construct the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. So many similar constructive ideas have been shared within these walls that I cannot recount them all here. I believe that today's Seminar will considerably expand and deepen our insight and understanding of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and help the initiative win greater confidence and support.

In conclusion, I wish the Seminar a great success and everyone a happy and healthy life!

Thank you!