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China pulls on Tang dynasty Silk Road ties to help secure central Asian future
- Five regional leaders were greeted with dancers and a banquet harking back to Xian’s imperial past as a centre of trade and culture
- Beijing is trying to position itself as an alternative partner to Russia
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Sylvie Zhuangin Beijing
It was a step back in time in Xian on Thursday night as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, welcomed five central Asian leaders for a summit.
The gathering in the northwestern Chinese city – home to the terracotta warriors and the start of the Silk Road – got under way performances and a banquet inspired by the Tang dynasty (618-907).
Xian was the imperial capital for much of the dynasty and a centre of culture and economic activity with neighbouring countries.
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Fast forward a millennium and Xi sought to invoke those connections at the start of the two-day China-Central Asia Summit, the country’s “first major diplomatic event” of the year.
02:58
China announces US$3.8 billion Belt and Road expansion in Central Asia
China announces US$3.8 billion Belt and Road expansion in Central Asia
“Shaanxi, as the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road, has witnessed the profound friendship between China and the Central Asian countries for over two thousand years,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
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