CC BY
9
THE iMPORTANCE OF THE GREAT SiLK ROAD iN THE DEVELOPMENT OF iNTERNATiONAL TRADE COMMUNiCATiONS
T.Z. Dashdamirova, PhD student Baku State University (Azerbaijan, Baku)
DOI:10.24412/2500-1000-2023-8-1-111-114
Abstract. The article emphasizes the important role of the Great Silk Road in the development of international trade communications. In addition to mentioning the transit routes of the historical Silk Road, the importance of the modern Silk Road project is emphasized here. The article explains the importance of strengthening economic relations and communication lines between countries, peoples, and different regions. Taking into account the importance of the Silk Road in the development of the world, within the framework of the new "One Belt, One Road" concept, China's large investment in international trade communications, infrastructure, innovative development of regions, and the creation of new sea ports and land routes should be noted.
Also mentioned in an article on China's digital Silk Road project. Now is the era of global communications in the world, and foreign policies of countries should be based on it. On the other hand, the importance of China's Maritime Silk Road project was mentioned in the article.
Keywords: silk road, maritime silk road, one belt one road, trade, communication, international relations, innovation, technology.
The Great Silk Road is a caravan route from China to the countries of Central and Eastern Asia in ancient and medieval times. Historical trade routes passed through China, Japan, India, Mongolia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and other countries.
Since ancient times, the main commercial activity in Asia has been silk production. With China as the center of silk production, the emperors understood the great economic potential this product could bring. However, along with silk, commodities like spices, tea, precious metals, clothes and paper were transported through the Silk Road in ancient times.
Here, the Great Silk Road is divided into two branches, northern and southern, taking into account the terrain conditions and historical ties. Among them, the Northern Silk Road, which is considered the most famous, can start from Changa (modern Xi'an, China) and go west through the Gansu Corridor to Dunhuang and then north to the Mongolian Plateau, Karakoram, or cross the Taklamakan Desert to Central Asia and the Mediterranean Sea [7].
The city of Xi'an is considered the starting point of the Great Silk Road, which starts
from here and goes through Lanzhou to Dunhuang. In Dunhuang, the Silk Road is divided into two parts. These are:
- a trade route leading south-west branch through the desert of Taklamakon to Khotan, from there to Yorkent, through the valleys of the Pamir mountains to Vahon, and from there to Zariasp, the capital of Bactria.
- the north-western branch goes from Dunhuan to the Tarim oasis of Kashgar, passing through Bashi, Kuchi and Turfan.
Also, the Great Silk Road connects Ozgen, Osh, Kuva, Akhsikent, Pop, then crosses the Asht desert to Khojand, Zamin, Jizzak, and then Samarkand to Nautak. The Great Silk Road stretches from Samarkand west to Dobusya, through the Malik desert to Bukhara and Romitan, and from there to Varakhsha to Boyken and from Farob to Amul-al-Gal.
The Great Silk Road was originally a huge caravan route from Merv to the west within the "Lazurite" and "King" roads, but as a result of the efforts of the talented Chinese diplomat Zhang Qiang in the 2nd century BC, the Great Silk Road became a permanent communication route between the East and the West. Here there were two main roads
through Fergana or Hindu Kush and Badakhshan. The first main transcontinental road passing through Fergana, and the second one, being of a seasonal nature, operated in the summer.
Here, trade caravans from India, Iran and the Mediterranean pass through Samarkand and reach Khojad. Here the road splits into two parts, the first road went to Kuva through Pop (Bob), Akhikent, and the second road went through Soh, Rishtan, Margilan to Guva, and then to Osh. After reaching Osh, the trade route continues to China via Uzgen, Otbosi and Terekdavon. In turn, the branch of the Great Silk Road passing through Northern Fergana was divided into two parts after Akhsiken in the 11th-12th centuries: the first one from Miyon-Ru (between two rivers), and the second one from Akhsiken to Margilan.
On the Great Silk Road, cities such as Samarkand, Merv, Old Urgench have become cultural centers of their times through the economic advantages brought by this road. At the same time, social, cultural, political relations have developed here. For the integration of such economic and cultural centers of the West and the East, and the North and the South, it is very important to continue the tradition of the ancient Silk Road connecting different countries. The Silk Road had a very positive effect on the fusion of cultures, the integration of peoples, and the economic development of countries.
With the arrival of Genghis Khan, from the beginning of the 13 th century, the control of the Silk Road in Central Asia passed to the Mongols, and many cities and historical monuments were destroyed in these areas. This situation began to change again with the arrival of Amir Timur in the middle of the 14th century.
The world has always needed such economic ways, and in the globalized world reality, such projects have become a necessity.
Today, the Great Silk Road project was first decided to be investigated as a mega-project in 1987 at the XXIV General Conference of UNESCO in Paris. The main goal here is to contribute to the increase of the dialogue between the East and the West, as well as to the economic, cultural and social
development of the countries located on the Silk Road. In countries such as China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan, several scientific institutions have been established to investigate the concept of the Great Silk Road. The research here is very important for the emergence of future economic and cultural perspectives [5].
The modern Great Silk Road project first emerged in 2013 after President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China announced the "One Belt and Road Initiative". Projects have been developed here mainly on two main roads:
- Maritime Silk Road - by sea from China to South Asia and then to Africa
- Silk Road Economic Belt - from China to Central Asia via land from the north, then to Europe through Iran and Turkey.
Throughout the history of the Silk Road, China has always been closely linked with Europe along this road. For this purpose, China is trying to connect the new European and Asian communication networks with the New Silk Road. China is investing heavily in railway projects along the Silk Road, the creation or rehabilitation of new ports, and the formation of industrial corridors. At the same time, they are very interested in economic integration with China and Asian countries, which are considered a rising economic power in the European Union.
The Great Silk Road is considered to be the longest commercial road network in the history of the world, connecting Asia and the ancient world.
Great empires have risen and fallen, but the Silk Road still survives. Along with the fact that the Silk Road is one of the most ambitious economic projects of today, security problems are emerging on the communication routes due to changing political issues. In order to solve these problems, the Chinese government conducts active diplomacy all over the world and tries to solve the problems between the countries. China believes that with the realization of this project, it will once again become the hegemonic power of the world [6].
The Belt and Road project also facilitates China's integration process with other Eurasian and African countries, increasing
China's investment opportunities in those countries.
The concept of "One Belt One Road" has become the main reason for China's access to the world by becoming a determining factor of China's economic and political interests in the global sense. According to the possibilities, the amount of investment China will make within the framework of this project will reach 1 trillion dollars, it will directly affect about 70 countries.
Many scientists say that the Great Silk Road project is a direct response to the concept of Trans-Pacific Partnership, opening China to the Asian market of the United States from a geopolitical strategic point of view. Also, through these communication routes, China uses its economic power to increase its influence over other countries and, as a result, obtains large economic profits.
Also, China is trying to expand the potential of the transnational trade network by using its large industrial capacity, creating communication routes, and getting them to play an active role in creating the necessary infrastructure [2].
For this purpose, by connecting Kashgar in the west of China with the port of Gwadar in Pakistan, an alternative to the unstable Strait of Malacca, and a new road that can satisfy China's needs, is envisaged. Also, China is trying to investigate some problems related to ensuring the investment of these communication routes.
At the same time, China is investing in existing and new investment institutions in order to overcome investment problems. In recent years, China has allocated 50 billion dollars to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and 40 billion dollars to the Silk Road Fund, which it considers an alternative to the World Bank and the IMF.
At the same time, China has stepped up its efforts to build a digital silk road, spreading its technological superiority to the world and trying to end the technological hegemony of the United States. From here, the creation of a digital Silk Road that closely connects China's technological power with neighboring countries is becoming an important part of the "Great Silk Road" project. Seeing this in the
framework of inclusive globalization, China is trying to use its digital advantage for its own higher interests.
Along with all this, the People's Republic of China is concluding new trade agreements within the framework of free economic zones with the countries participating in the "One Belt One Road" project. China has signed bilateral agreements with more than 20 countries for the formation of communication lines along both sea and land Silk Road.
Throughout history, globalization has been formed in two main frameworks:
- Globalization 1.0. - was implemented with the formation of the historical silk road;
- Globalization 2.0 - It began to come to life with the emergence of Western colonialism and the formation of the industrial revolution.
Now, digital globalization is taking shape in today's world as a result of technological development. In this framework, China wants to implement a new innovative, inclusive, economically profitable global cooperation that even landlocked countries can benefit from based on the One Belt One Road project [4].
Since 2013, the Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) has been launched, which in turn is considered the result of China's Great Silk Road project. The main reason behind China's Maritime Silk Road project is that maritime transport will further facilitate international trade [1]. China is mainly allocating funds for the construction and financing of ports and special economic zones within the framework of the "blue economic transition of the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea".
In order to implement a project of this magnitude, it is important to establish dialogue with other interested parties on the basis of international cooperation and mutual benefit. For this purpose, the People's Republic of China wants to increase its support by telling the whole world about the dream of the Great Silk Road. Here, the sayings that China will develop the existing infrastructure, implement modern port and railway projects attract countries to this project [3].
At the same time, the importance of the investigation of the effects of the China's MSRI project after COVID-19 and pandemic have become extremely important.
References
1. Brewster, David. Silk Roads and Strings of Pearls: The Strategic Geography of China's New Pathways in the Indian Ocean // Geopolitics. -2017. - №22 (2). - P. 269-291.
2. Cai, P. Understanding China's Belt and Road Initiative // Sydney, Australia: Lowy Institute - March 22 - 2017. - URL: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/understanding-belt-and-road-initiative.
3. Carolijn van Noort. The Aesthetic Power of Ships in International Political Communication: Why Ships Matter in China's Communication of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative // Global Society - 17 Jun 2021 - P. 516-537. - URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600826.2021.1942801.
4. Hong Shen "Building a Digital Silk Road? Situating the Internet in China's Belt and Road Initiative" // International Journal of Communication. - 2018. - Vol. 12. - URL: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/8405/2386.
5. Kushanova D.U. The Great Silk Road - the Road to Communication and International Relations. // International Journal on Integrated Education. - 2020. - Vol. 3. - P. 8-11. - URL: https://www.neliti.com/publications/334056/the-great-silk-road-the-road-to-communication-and-international-relations.
6. Tomas Skinner "What Was the Silk Road & What Was Traded on It?" - Oct 24, 2021. -URL: https://thecollector.vercel.app/what-was-the-silk-road/.
7. https://www.azerbaijans.com/content_900_az.html.
ЗНАЧЕНИЕ ВЕЛИКОГО ШЕЛКОВОГО ПУТИ В РАЗВИТИИ МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ТОРГОВЫХ КОММУНИКАЦИЙ
Т.З. Дашдамирова, аспирант Бакинский государственный университет (Азербайджан, г. Баку)
Аннотация. В статье подчеркивается важная роль Великого Шелкового пути в развитии международных торговых коммуникаций. Помимо упоминания транзитных маршрутов исторического Шелкового пути, здесь подчеркивается важность проекта современного Шелкового пути. В статье объясняется важность укрепления экономических связей и коммуникаций между странами, народами и различными регионами. Учитывая значение Шелкового пути в развитии мира, в рамках новой концепции «Один пояс, один путь» Китай осуществляет крупные инвестиции в международные торговые коммуникации, инфраструктуру, инновационное развитие регионов, создание следует отметить новые морские порты и сухопутные маршруты.
Также упоминается в статье о китайском проекте цифрового Шелкового пути. Сейчас в мире эпоха глобальных коммуникаций, и внешняя политика стран должна основываться на этом. С другой стороны, в статье была упомянута важность проекта «Морской шелковый путь» Китая.
Ключевые слова: Шелковый путь, морской шелковый путь, один пояс, один путь, торговля, коммуникации, международные отношения, инновации, технологии.
