Wu Yiqun: How Xinjiang Transformed Into a Eurasian Hub

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Xinjiang, through which caravan routes between Asia and Europe passed for more than two millennia, long remained a transit territory for merchants rather than a final destination.

Today, the region is changing this role, transforming from a transport corridor into a major industrial and logistics center for Eurasia. Wu Yiqun, Dean of the History Institute (Institute of the Chinese Nation Community) at Xinjiang University, discussed how this transition occurred, how modern trade on the Silk Road differs from ancient times, and the significance of the Silk Road spirit in conditions of geopolitical tension, in an interview with China News Service during the 9th China-Eurasia Expo.

Interview with Wu Yiqun, Dean of the History Institute (Institute of the Chinese Nation Community) at Xinjiang University.

China News Service journalists: Liu Wenwen, Wang Mengyao.

For more than two thousand years, the ringing of caravan bells did not stop. Xinjiang, located on an important route between Asia and Europe, saw countless merchants and travelers pass through the region. However, for most of them, Xinjiang was only a place they traveled through, not a final destination.

Today, this situation, which lasted for thousands of years, is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Xinjiang is rapidly transforming from a transit corridor into a major industrial and logistics hub. How was this change achieved? During the 9th China-Eurasia Expo, correspondents from the "East and West Ask" column of China News Service conducted an exclusive interview with Wu Yiqun, Dean of the History Institute (Institute of the Chinese Nation Community) at Xinjiang University.

The following is a summary of the interview.

China News Service: What is the connection between the China-Eurasia Expo and trade exchanges on the ancient Silk Road? How do you assess the changes in the forms of trade between the ancient and modern Silk Road?

Wu Yiqun: The basis of trade on the ancient Silk Road was spontaneously generated border trade between individuals. At that time, Chinese and foreign merchants, as well as camel caravans, crossed deserts and ancient caravan roads, exchanging traditional goods such as silk, tea, jade, and other commodities.

Today, the China-Eurasia Expo is a platform created and promoted at the state level by China with the active participation of neighboring countries. In its form, modern trade has already shaken off the randomness and limitations characteristic of traditional trade. Cooperation has expanded from the trade of individual commodities to interaction in fields such as energy, humanitarian exchanges, investment, and other areas.

Changes have also occurred in the field of cultural exchange. While cultural ties previously developed mainly due to trade, today they have turned into an independent, regular, and equal dialogue between different civilizations.

If the ancient Silk Road developed thanks to trade, the modern exhibition develops thanks to interconnectedness and cooperation. Today, this platform is no longer limited to trade in goods, but has become an important mechanism that promotes the joint development of the countries in the region and strengthens regional cooperation.

China News Service: As a core zone of the Silk Road Economic Belt, how was Xinjiang able to transition from the role of a "transport corridor" to the role of a "hub center"?

Wu Yiqun: Previously, Xinjiang mainly performed the function of a transit territory through which goods were transported. Today, it is gradually transforming into a major hub center with stronger capabilities for the concentration and distribution of resources. Such a transition from a "corridor" to a "hub" means not only the modernization of Xinjiang's infrastructure, but also profound changes in development approaches and the definition of its role.

In the past, Xinjiang was a transport corridor connecting Central China with the Western regions. Goods passed quickly through it in transit, so the region's economy was mainly built on servicing transportation. This was a typical "transit economy."

Today, relying on the Horgos and Alashankou border ports, as well as comprehensive free trade zones, Xinjiang has ceased to be just a place through which goods pass. Now it actively participates in the international industrial division of labor, becomes part of regional production and distribution chains, and ensures the development of logistics, trade, capital movement, and the placement of enterprises.

For example, previously, wheat from Kazakhstan was only transported through Xinjiang. Now it is processed directly in the comprehensive free trade zones to produce flour and animal feed, after which these products are supplied to the domestic market of China. Natural gas from Central Asian countries is not only transported through pipelines, but also contributes to the development of the local petrochemical industry and deep processing production chains in Xinjiang.

Various resources of the Eurasian continent meet, exchange, redistribute, and increase their value in Xinjiang. Thanks to this, the region has transformed from a simple "crossroads" of Eurasia into an important engine of regional economic development.

China News Service: In ancient times, camel caravans moved along the roads of the Silk Road and conducted trade wherever the opportunity arose. Today, China-Europe cargo trains run regularly and modern transport routes operate. How have changes in the transport system affected the main principles of trade on the Silk Road?

Wu Yiqun: In ancient times, people from different countries overcame deserts, steppes, and forests, traveling a long and difficult path along the Silk Road to profit from trade between different regions.

Today, the launch of China-Europe cargo trains, the introduction of a digital management system at the Alashankou border port, as well as the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway have significantly raised the level of transport infrastructure development and noticeably changed the traditional model of trade on the Silk Road.

Now, trade on the Silk Road is no longer limited only to expensive goods that can be stored for a long time and transported over long distances. Thanks to modern transport, a wide variety of goods required by people in their daily lives can be delivered quickly and accurately to their destination. This has significantly expanded the assortment of goods participating in trade.

The constantly improving network of road, rail, and other transport routes continues to expand trade routes, strengthen the international logistics network, and deepen trade and economic cooperation between Asia and Europe. All this contributes to the development of mutual ties, mutual benefit, and joint economic growth.

China News Service: Looking back at more than a thousand years of Silk Road history, what has changed and what has remained unchanged? What significance does the spirit of the Silk Road have today for international trade and cultural exchange?

Wu Yiqun: If you look at the development of the Silk Road over millennia, you can see that the forms of transport routes and models of trade constantly changed along with the development of the era. However, its spiritual foundation, having passed the test of time, has been preserved and still remains relevant today.

Changes to the Silk Road became the natural result of social and technical progress. Traditional trade using camel caravans was replaced by modern railway transport corridors and international exhibition platforms. The spheres of trade and economic cooperation expanded significantly, and its efficiency grew substantially. All this became possible thanks to the development of modern technologies and society.

But the main mission of the Silk Road—to promote trade and economic ties between Asia and Europe, as well as cultural exchange and mutual learning between peoples—has remained unchanged. Peaceful cooperation, openness and mutual respect, mutual learning and exchange of experience, mutual benefit, and a common win-win situation still form the basis of the Silk Road spirit. The Belt and Road Initiative is a continuation and modern development of this spirit.

Today, when trends toward deglobalization are intensifying in the world and geopolitical conflicts are sharpening, the spirit of the Silk Road serves as an important guide. For the development of international trade and economic cooperation and cultural exchange, countries must adhere to the principles of openness, mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, eliminate regional and institutional barriers, find common interests, and unlock the potential of cooperation in order to move forward together on the path of mutually beneficial development.

Brief information about the interviewee:

Wu Yiqun holds a doctorate in historical sciences specializing in historical geography and graduated from the Center for Historical Geography at Fudan University. She was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Population Research at Peking University and at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). The main directions of her research and teaching activities include the history of the administration of China's northwestern border territories, as well as the protection, study, and development of the historical and cultural heritage of Xinjiang.

She currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Dean of the History Faculty (Institute for the Study of the Chinese Nation Community) at Xinjiang University, and is a professor and postgraduate supervisor. She directs the preparation of the master's program specializing in Chinese History (first-level discipline). She is also a member of the Committee on Historical Geography of the Chinese Geographical Society, Vice Chairman of the Xinjiang History Society (6th convocation), and holds other academic positions.

She has directed the execution of two projects of the National Social Science Fund of China, four projects at the provincial and ministerial level, and three commissioned research projects. She currently directs one key project of the National Social Science Fund of China and participates in five more projects at the provincial, ministerial, and other levels. She is the author of five monographs, the editor-in-chief of one collection of scientific articles, and has published more than 60 scientific works.

China News Service