Luka Krzhaloski

Luka Krzhaloski
马其顿内部革命组织—马民族统一民主党行政委员会成员，

青年力量联盟行政委员会成员，斯科普里市青年主席

Respected colleges and dear friends, I must start this speech by saying thank you for allowing me this wonderful opportunity to visit the oldest nation in the world and thus get to know Chinas renowned culture, its colorful traditions, and its hard working people a little bit better. By reading Chinese history I have been amazed by the endurance and gravitational power of this its, which subdued even the most malicious invaders without the power of sword or gun. 

My task here today is to give a speech about “Advices for Building the Silk Road.” But first, please allow me to communicate to you my personal view and the view of Macedonia about the “The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road.”

China has taken up this noble task of resurrecting this grandiose artery of mankind. We all know that this rout was not only for silk and other commodities, but more importantly for knowledge, ideas and technologies. It will be so this time as well because this project aims to bind seemingly irreconcilable cultures spanning from the western shores of the Pacific through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, the Persian Gulf the central Asian States… all the way to Europe.

I can tell you that small as Macedonia is, we support this policy with all our might, knowing that China is a benevolent and good power in the World. Of course, a greater incentive is the evident economic interest we have in doing so. With the support of Chinese finance, we have already started to work on two highways streaks, but we realize that this is only the first step and that the real benefits will start flowing when the quantities of trade and investment will surge when the envisaged “Economic Belt” is complete.

 Now let me turn to the main topic. I am sure that experts can give a detailed and educated Advices for Building the Silk Road, but what I can do better is tell you my personal view as a Macedonian. I will concentrate on two things. One being the visibility and image of the project, the other how we “The 16 countries” could contribute with cooperation with China.

We all know about the vision of the project, but even as I was preparing myself for this speech it was hard for me to find a centralized and reliable source from where I could draw information. I could not find a place where I could read about the detailed picture, the given commitments, time schedules and so on. I had to rely on different articles, news sites or portals, which more rather than less aimed at undermining and slandering this project.

This situation leaves room for speculation and insecurity which can be abused by “Interests” who will lose out from this project. Some may say that it is hollow rhetoric or a pledge without a basis. It is difficult to entice countries to participate in an undertaking they know so little about. For these reasons, China needs to articulate the details of this grand policy to the broader public.

So my advice would be to make this centralized informational center, which will inform the masses about every aspect of the project like benefits, updates and so on. In the same time, I think it would be good if China invested a bit extra resources in “public diplomacy.” I am aware of the work of the Confucius Center which is active in Macedonia as well, but I think that it can be more prominent. As I said I am fascinated by Chinas history and culture and I believe that that it is the strongest argument against those that see the Silk Road Initiative as assertive or threatening.

My other advice would be that we the 16 countries of Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe should work together to advance this project in our own countries, but also to work extra hard to convince our European allies and the United States that this project will only bring benefits to the whole Global Economy, but also it will integrate backward and hostile regions, because only by mixing our economic interests, we become interconnected and tolerant.

It is in our big interest that this initiative is pushed through. Just imagine what fast railway from Piraeus to Budapest would to our economy and for the mobility of our people. Or how many doors this infrastructural network will open for our products or bring investments to our states. Here is a fun fact: a cargo boat travels on average 2 months from Shangai to Western Europe or vice versa. If the Silk Road is build this time would be cut to 2 weeks. 

Since my time is running our I would like to conclude. We all know this is a great project, so let’s not stick to the “woulds” or “wills”! Let us all jointly make this dream of a better world a reality.

Thank you.