Lebanon’s high hopes on China’s Silk Road

High hopes are being thrown on reviving the Silk Road to China for stimulating the national economy, developing infrastructure and strengthening the status of women. Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon, Wang Kijian, said, in a lecture at the Lebanese American University, that given its strategic geographic location and its exceptional banking sector, as well as, its cultural and human resources, adding that Lebanon is an important player in the Silk Road as a link between Asia and Europe. Also to be noted that the Lebanese minister of economy, Raed Khury, recently signed in China a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on joint cooperation in the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road . (http://bit.ly/2wRxlX9). During the event, Khury also expressed Chinese desire to invest in the Lebanese infrastructure, especially with regard to transportation. Similarly, the president of the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), Claudine Aoun Rukuz, noted in a recent address to the Chinese-Arab Women’s Forum in Beijing that the Silk Road initiative will strengthens bilateral relations between Lebanon and China, and represents a big opportunity to promote the role of women in all the participant countries, calling for the development of Lebanese women’s capacities and resources to guaranteed a successful participation in the that pioneering scheme. This, she maintained, concurs with the growing interest by Chinese companies in the country as a hub for the imminent reconstruction of neighboring Syria. Finally, Rukuz also spoke about the need to develop women’s capabilities and skills so as to be able to compete on equal footing with men. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, September 18, 20, 26, 2017)

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